IN VITRO EVALUATION OF ANTI-FUNGAL ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF ROOT BARK POWDER OF AZIMA TETRACANTHA AGAINST CANDIDA ALBICANS

The side effects of synthetic fungicides and the development of fungicide-resistant pathogens have led to an intense search for naturally occurring compounds with anti-candida activity. Consequently, there has been a significant focus on identifying Antifungal activity in recent years. As a result, researchers around the world conducted extensive searches for plant species with antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-candida properties of the Azima tetracantha (L) Kurz plant against Candida albicans. The effectiveness of hot and cold extracts was tested using dry root bark at different concentrations (100%, 50%, and 25%) in this study. Samples of Candida albicans were obtained from Eastern University and the Anti-Candida activity was analyzed using Sabouroud Dextrose Agar media. The presence or absence of inhibition zones in the disc diffusion method was utilized to evaluate the antifungal activities. The displayed zones of inhibition were dose-dependent, except for the hot extract tested against Candida albicans. The hot aqueous extract showed a 100% maximum zone of inhibition against Candida albicans (3.73±0.59cm) followed by 50% (2.4±0.54cm), 25% (1.64±0.24cm) then compared to the Cold extract 100% (3.11±1.25cm), 50% (2.35±0.64cm), 2.5% (1.45±0.43cm). The results indicated that the root bark powder was effective among the plant extracts. 10 mg/10 ml of hot extract proved to be more effective than cold extract. Compared to Fluconazole (10 mg/10 ml), the positive control, Azima tetracantha (L) Kurz exhibits more potent anti-candida activity. The findings suggest the usefulness of root aqueous extracts of Azima tetracantha (L) Kurz against pathogenic fungal (Candida albicans) strains. Key words: Anti candida activity, Azima tetracantha, Candida albicans, Sabouroud dextrose agar, Concentration, Zone of inhibition