PRELIMINARY ANTIFUNGAL AND CYTOTOXICITY STUDIES OF EXTRACTS OF RITCHIEA CAPPAROIDES VAR. LONGIPEDICELLATA

Crude extracts obtained from the leaves, stem bark and roots of Ritchi ea capparoides var, longipedicellata were screened for in vitro antifu ngal activity using the agar tube dilution method. The leaf hexane, le af methanol, stem bark methanol and root methanol extracts were tested using ten clinical strains of fungi at a concentration of 200 and 400 mu g/ml, respectively. At 400 mu g/ml, all four extracts inhibited th e growth of six of the ten test fungi used in the study. Inhibition of the growth of Aspergillus niger by the extracts was also seen but the activity was low and the leaf hexane and root methanol extracts inhib ited the growth of Drechslera rostrata. Only the leaf hexane extract w as active against Curvularia lunata, while the growth of Candida albic ans was not inhibited by any of the extracts. The inhibition of growth of almost all the microorganisms decreased at 200 mu g, griseofulvin was included as a reference compound and methanol as the control. Prel iminary cytotoxicity tests were done with the four extracts using the larvae of the brine shrimp, Artemia saline. The extracts were however found to be relatively non-toxic as each extract had an LD50 value gre ater than 1000 mu g/ml. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rig hts reserved.