Antifungal activity of tuber extracts of Cyclamen rohlfsianum against some human pathogenic Candida spp.

Cyclamen rohlfsianum is a plant species endemic to Al-jabal al-Akhdar, Libya and is important in folk medicine. Recently, scientists pay more attention of this plant in term of it’s antimicrobial activity and use to get rid of the infections that cause by bacteria and candida; therefor, this study was conducted. This study investigated the antifungal activity of C. rohlfsianum tuber extracts against Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusi using a disc diffusion method. The plant tuber extracts were prepared using four different solvents with different polarities (ethyl acetate, chloroform, hexane, and ethanol) and applied at a concentration of 0.01 mg/ml. Antifungal activity against C. albicans was observed in chloroform, ethyl acetate, and hexane plant extract (inhibition zone 0.9, 0.8, and 0.7 mm in diameter respectively). However, only hexane and chloroform plant extract inhibited the growth of C. krusi, with hexane tuber extract being the most effective (inhibition zone of 1.3 mm in diameter) compared to the chloroform plant extract (0.7 mm inhibition zone). The plant tuber extracts did not affect the growth of C. tropicalis. Nystatin did not affect the growth of any of the candida spp. The study confirmed the activity of C. rohlfsianum tuber extracts against some species of candida.