Comparative in vitro antifungal activities of Simarouba glauca against Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus parasiticus

Abstract

Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus parasiticus cause diseases to animals including human directly or by producing mycotoxins. A. parasiticus is well known for its production of aflatoxin which is a potent carcinogenic compound. F. oxysporum is reported as a serious emerging trans-kingdom pathogen. Once established, fungal diseases caused by these fungi are difficult to treat and most of the available antifungal therapies are generally of limited value due to toxicity problems. The present study analyses the antifungal properties of Simarouba glauca, a medicinal plant well known for its antimicrobial, antidysenteric, antiherpetic, antihelminthic and antiprotozoal activity. Methanolic and ethanolic extracts of both fresh and dried leaves were tested for their inhibitory activity against these pathogenic fungi. Screening of the crude extracts for the antifungal activity using well diffusion assay showed strong inhibition against the tested fungus. Ethanolic extracts of both the fresh and dried leaves were found to be more effective as compared to methanolic extracts against the growth of the fungi. The present study also showed that the leaf extracts of Simarouba glauca ismore effective againstAspergillus parasiticus as compared to Fusarium oxysporum.