Abstract:
Introduction: Candidiasis, which is caused by Candida albicans, is becoming a
global health concern due to the emergence of resistant strains to antifungal drugs. It
led to the need for alternative treatment approaches. Nowadays, herbal plant extracts
that contain various bioactive constituents serve as promising antifungal agents.
Abelmoschus esculentus (okra) pods and Salvia hispanica L. (Chia) seeds possess
various biological properties. Despite these activities, the antifungal activity of
methanolic extracts of A. esculentus pods and S. hispanica L. seeds against C.
albicans has not been investigated so far.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations
(MIC) of methanolic extracts of pods of A. esculentus and seeds of S. hispanica L.
to assess their antifungal activity against standard C. albicans ATCC 10231T.
Methodology: Methanolic extracts of A. esculentus pods and S. hispanica L. seeds
were prepared by maceration and tested for the antifungal activity against the
standard strain of C. albicans ATCC 10231T using Sabouraud Dextrose Broth
microdilution assay. Serial two-fold dilutions of A. esculentus (40 mg/mL–0.019
mg/mL) and S. hispanica L (2.5 mg/mL–1.22 µg/mL) extracts were tested in
duplicate to determine the MIC, where miconazole was used as the positive control.
Results: Both methanolic plant extracts exhibited detectable antifungal activity
against C. albicans, with the MIC values of 312.5 µg/mL for S. hispanica L. seed
extract and 2.5 mg/mL for A. esculentus pod extract, which were higher than that of
the standard drug miconazole with an MIC of 0.5 µg/mL.
Conclusion/s: This study provides the first report on the MIC of methanolic extracts
of A. esculentus pods and S. hispanica L. seeds against C. albicans. Although their
antifungal activity is lower than that of standard antifungal drug, the findings offer
preliminary evidence supporting the potential role of these plant extracts in antifungal
phytotherapy research.
