Antidermatophytic Activity of Ethanolic Extract fromCroton tiglium

Abstract

Dermatophytosis, which is caused mainly by genera ofTrichophyton,Epidermophyton, andMicrosporum, is a frequent dermatological problem in tropical and subtropical countries. Investigations were carried out in this study to evaluate the antidermatophytic activity of the stems, leaves, and seeds ofCroton tiglium, one of the traditional medicine plants indigenous to Asia. Ethanolic extracts of the stems, leaves, and seeds ofC. tigliumwere prepared by cold soak or heat reflux methods. The antidermatophytic activities of the extracts were evaluated by disc diffusion and microdilution susceptibility assays againstTrichophyton mentagrophytes,T. rubrum, andEpidermophyton floccosum. The active components in the extracts were analyzed and identified by GC-MS. All ethanolic extracts ofC. tigliumshowed some antifungal activities against the three dermatophytes. The ethanolic stem extract had the greatest inhibitory activities againstT. mentagrophytesandE. floccosumwith MICs at 0.16 mg/mL and had a lower activity againstT. rubrum(MIC: 0.31 mg/mL). Oleic acid and hexadecanoic acid were found to be the major constituents in the stem extract that demonstrated strong antidermatophytic activities. The ethanolic extracts of stem or seed ofC. tigliumexhibit strong antidermatophytic activities and, thus, could be considered for application on treating skin fungal infections after appropriate processing.