Abstract

The present study was carried out to evaluate the antifungal activities of aqueous and solvent extract of Swietenia mahogany which is used as a traditional folk medicine in India for the treatment of different infectious diseases and disorders. The antifungal activities of the extracts were tested against Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans by disc diffusion assay and broth dilution method to determine minimum inhibitory concentration. Extracts were prepared from aerial part of S. mahogany with various organic solvents and the concentrated extracts were reconstituted in dimethyl sulphoxide which was used for anti fungal assay. Among the different extracts tested, methanol revealed distinct anti fungal activity against both tested strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the methanol extract against C. neoformans and C. albicans was found to be 200 and 1000 µg/ml, respectively.

Key words: Cryptococcus neoformans, Candida albicans, Swietenia mahogany, antifungal activity, extracts