Anti-dermatophytic activity and FTIR analysis of Petroleum ether extracts of Azadirachta indica A. Juss seed (Meliaceae) [electronic resource]

Includes bibliographic reference

Plant derived medicines have made massive contributions to the humans over the years. Azadirachta indica is
used in ethnomedicine to treat ailments such as; eczema, ringworm, sore throat, respiratory tract infection, and
scabies. Seeds of A. indica were collected, shade dried, pulverized and extracted with petroleum ether using
soxhlet and cold maceration. Physicochemical analysis of the seed oil was carried out as described by the
Association of Official Analytical Chemists methods. The oil was fractionated using column chromatography, and
then Infra-Red (IR) analysis was carried out using a spectrophotometer. The antifungal activities of the oil and
Terbinafine standard compound were evaluated by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and
minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), using the Agar diffusion method. The petroleum ether oil recovered
from the soxhlet method of extraction showed higher percentage of yield, whereas the oil obtained from cold
maceration exhibited higher diameter of inhibition zones against several dermatophytes including; Trichophyton
mentagrophytes, T. rubrum and Microsporum canis, ranging from 12.00- 16.33 mm. The MIC and MFC values of
the oil ranged from 6.25 to > 50% v/v, and 12.5 to > 50% v/v, respectively. Moreover, the seed oil and its
fractions recorded classes of several compounds which included; alkyl, alkanes, alkenes, aliphatic esters, ketone,
carboxylic acid, amide, and alkyl halide. The seed oil had inhibitory potential against a dermatophyte which
causes ring worm (T. corporis), thus confirmed the claims of using the A. indica extract for treatment of such
disease. This study aimed to evaluate the antidermatophytic activities of the oil obtained from A. indica seeds
using petroleum ether, and their fractions.

Summary in Arabic