Antifungal activity of Satureja khuzestanica (Jamzad) leaves extracts

Introduction and objective: Opportunistic fungal infections have been a common cause of morbidity and mortality in the immunosupresed individuals such as AIDS and organ recipients. Treatment of these infections is a great challenge, thus antifungal therapy is playing a greater role in their health care. Traditional plants are a valuable source of novel antifungals. The aim of this study was to assess in vitro antifungal activity of the ethanolic extract of Satureja khuzestanica leaves. Materials and methods: In the current experimental study the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the ethanolic extract of S. khuzestanica leaves was evaluated against saprophytic fungi isolates such as Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp., Alternaria sp., Rhizopus sp., and Mucor sp. Antifungal susceptibilities were determined using the agar well diffusion method and amphotericine B was used as positive control as gold therapeutic agent. Results: Our findings showed that the ethanolic extract of S. khuzestanica leaves exhibited antifungal activity against all tested saprophytic fungi with MIC values (625-5000μg/ml). Conclusion: The Results demonstrated that this plant has strong antifungal potential against all tested fungi.