Antifungal activity of total saponins of Convolvulus arvensis L from Tlemcen, Western North of Algeria

Convolvulus arvensis L. is used in traditional medicine in Algeria. It has powerful benefits for diseases of the digestive system and the skin. It also, know to have a potent role in plants protection. This research aims to study the antifungal potential of crude saponins of C. arvensis L. leaves from the Tlemcen region. The results showed that C. arvensis L is rich in various secondary metabolites (e.g., sterols, tannins, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, and steroids). Otherwise, findings reveal that the in vitro antifungal abilities of total saponins were more potent at 0.04 mg/mL for all molds tested. A. flavus was more sensitive to the effect of saponins (45.30%); in contrario, P. expansum was more resistant (26.57%). Furthermore, the antifungal effect of saponins depended on the fungal strains, the dose of saponins, and the incubation time. Based on these findings, C. arvensis L crude saponins had exhibited a significant antifungal impact which further potential biological activities should be explored.