Traditional Medicinal Plants Demonstrate Antifungal, Cytotoxic, and Wound Healing Potential In Vitro

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the antifungal, cytotoxic, and wound healing activities of seven medicinal plants—Thymus cilicicus, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Lavandula angustifolia, Echinacea purpurea, Curcuma longa, Urtica dioica, and Achillea millefolium—commonly used in Turkish folk medicine. The study also sought to provide scientific validation for their traditional uses and to identify potential candidates for the development of novel antifungal and wound-healing therapies.Material and Methods: Aqueous and organic solvent extracts were prepared by maceration at room temperature for 24 h. Antifungal activity was assessed against Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida albicans, and Candida krusei using agar disc diffusion. Cytotoxicity was evaluated on human lung carcinoma (A549) and normal lung fibroblast (MRC-5) cells via the MTT assay. Wound healing potential was determined through an in vitro scratch assay using MRC-5 fibroblasts.Results: Aqueous extract of U. dioica showed the strongest inhibition against C. albicans (16.45 ± 0.08 mm). The chloroform and methanol extracts of E. purpurea were particularly effective against C. krusei (11.22 ± 0.63 mm and 11.26 ± 0.02 mm, respectively). The ethanol extract of L. angustifolia at 250 μg/mL reduced A549 viability to 22.18 ± 3.48% while significantly increasing MRC-5 viability. U. dioica and T. cilicicus were the most effective promoters of fibroblast migration, achieving 74.07 ± 0.77% and 61.46 ± 3.43% wound closure, respectively.Conclusion: The findings provide experimental support for the traditional use of these medicinal plants and highlight U. dioica, T. cilicicus, and L. angustifolia as promising candidates for the development of antifungal, wound-healing, and potentially anticancer therapies.