In Vitro Antifungal Activity of Crude Hydro-Alcoholic Extract of Petiveria alliacea L on Clinical Candida Isolates

Background: The global burden of infections due to Candida and the emerging resistance to antifungals has led to the search for new therapeutic alternatives. The aim of the present work it was to evaluate the in vitro antifungal activity of crude hydro-alcoholic extract of Petiveria alliacea L (HAEPAL) versus fluconazole against Candida isolates.
Methods: In vitro antifungal activity was evaluated by broth microdilution method in front of 125 Candida isolates (60 C. albicans). Inoculum of 1.5×106 CFU/mL in sterile saline solution were incubated with five dilutions of the extract (128, 64, 32, 16 and 8 μg/mL). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was defined as the lowest concentration of HAEPAL showing ≤ 50% growth compared with the extract-free growth control estimated by counting the CFU/mL. Fluconazole susceptibility was assessed by ATBTM Fungus 3 and E-test according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Results: HAEPAL showed higher antifungal activity compared to fluconazole. Only four isolates (one C. albicans, one C. glabrata and two C. krusei) exhibited high MICs (≥ 64 μg/mL) compared to 34 (19 C. albicans and 15 Candida non-albicans) which showed resistance to fluconazole.
Conclusion: These results show the antifungal potentiality of HAEPAL, which could become a potential alternative for Candida treatment.