Comparative Activities of Ethanol and Metabolic Extracts Of aloe Barbadensis Millerton Clinical Isolates Ofcandida Albia’s

Background: Aloe barbadensis miller (Aloevera) is a known medicinal plant belonging to the Liliaceae family. The leaves are thick and fleshy, green to grey-green with some varieties showing white flecks on their upper and lower stem surfaces. The slimy gel in the aloevera leaf has traditionally been used for treatment of digestive tract disturbances, sunburn and wounds. The therapeutic claims for aloevera cover a broad range of conditions. It is commonly used topically in the treatment of dermatological conditions such as dermatitis. An evaluation study to determine the antifungal activities of methanolic and ethanolic extracts of aloevera on Candida albicans isolateswas carried out. Method:The extracts from the aloevera plant was tested for antifungal activity via invitro study at various concentrations using the agar well diffusion method. A standard antifungal, fluconazole was used as positive control. Dimethylsulfoxide(DMSO) was used as the diluting solvent of the extract and also as negative control.Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the extracts and antifungal agent on the fungal isolates that were sensitive to them were also determined using concentrations ranging from 3.12mg/ml to 50mg/ml by agar dilution method. The concentration ranges of fluconazole used was 0.125μg/ml to 64μg/ml. Results:From the sensitivity performed, both ethanol and methanol extracts showed antifungal activity against the fungal isolate at 50mg/ml. Ethanol extract showed wider zones of inhibition. The MIC values of methanol extract varied between 12.5mg/ml to 25mg/ml while MIC of ethanol extract varied between 6.25mg/ml and 12.5mg/ml. The MIC of fluconazole varied between 4μg/ml and 16μgml. Conclusion:Considering the relatively low MICs recorded in this study, it can be said that the organic leaf extract of Aloe barbadensis miller could be useful as an alternative to orthodox antifungals in the treatment of infections caused by Candida albicans.