ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF ALCOHOLIC AND AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF VETIVERIA ZIZANIOIDES

Abstract

The success of chemotherapy lies in the continuous search for new drugs to counter the challenge posed by resistant strains. Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of  plant Vetiveria zizanioides traditionally used in Indian folklore medicine for the treatment of various bacterial and fungal infections were investigated for in vitro antimicrobial activity against pathogens namely Asperigulls nigar, Asperigulls clavatus and  Candida albicanus by disc diffusion method compared with standard antibiotic like nystatin and griseofulvin . Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Vetiveria zizanioides showed the toxicity against all the fungas. The ethanolic extract of plant showed better antifungal activity than aqueous extract. Minimum  inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay were determined for these two extracts against fungal  strain. Vetiveria zizanioides revealed more antifungal activity against Asperigulls nigar, Asperigulls clavatus. The phytochemical analysis carried out, revealed the presence of flavanoids, glycosides, phenols, tannins, saponins and alkaloids. The results provide justification for the use of the plants in folk medicine to treat various infectious diseases. Further studies on isolation of active constituents responsible for the activity are under investigation.