부산대학교 도서관

The integration of traditional and modern medicine has gained increased recognition globally. In light of vast potentiality of medicinal plants as therapeutics, the present endeavor deals with the assessment of antifungal and synergistic activity of Urginea indica (Kunth.) (Family: Liliaceae) commonly known as wild onion against human pathogenic fungi viz., Aspergillu niger (MTCC 872) and Candida albicans (MTCC 183) procured from IMTECH, Chandigarh, India. The antifungal and synergistic activity was assessed by agar well diffusion method. The results were analyzed statistically using ANOVA with DMRT. The qualitative phytochemical analysis, column chromatography, TLC, MIC, and MFC was performed following standard protocols. Finally, the purified fraction was chemically characterized by HPLC, UV-Vis, FT-IR, (1H & 13C) NMR, and ESI-MS. The antifungal activity profile showed that acetone root extract exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity. However, in case of C. albicans, the extract exhibited significantly higher activity index. The qualitative analysis revealed the presence of varied phytochemicals. The extract exhibiting the highest activity was purified and tested for its synergistic or antagonistic potentiality against fungi revealed that the bioactive compound exhibited statistically significant synergism with three different commercially available antifungals viz., clotrimazole, ketoconazole, and fluconazole. Finally, the purified fraction was chemically characterized. The combination therapy against human pathogenic fungi seems to be a boon for patients with severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens. Thus, in current scenario, there is an urgent need to target new dimensions towards alternative antifungal therapy to preserve better human health for generations ahead.