Preliminary phytochemical screening and in vitro antifungal activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn

Abstract

The present study was carried out to evaluate the, phytochemical constituents, and in vitro antifungal activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn. The plant leaves were collected, authenticated,.shade dried, powdered, and extracted using ethanol by Soxhlet extraction method. physicochemical evaluations were performed to determine the identity, purity, and quality of the crude drug material .Preliminary phytochemical screening of the ethanolic extract revealed the presence of important secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, phenolic compounds, an terpenoids, which are known to possess antimicrobial and antifungal properties. The invitro antifungal activity of the extract was evaluated by agar well diffusion method against fungal strains including Candida albicans The ethanolic extract exhibited noticeable antifungal activity against the tested organisms, and the activity increased with increasing concentration of the extract. The antifungal effect may be attributed to the presence of bioactive phytoconstituents present in the plant extract.The results of the present investigation support the traditional medicinal use of Synedrella nodifloraand suggest that the plant possesses potential as a natural source for development of plant-based antifungal agents. Further studies are required for isolation and characterization of active compounds responsible for antifungal activity.