A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE ANTIFUNGAL EFFECTS OF HEATED PETIOLE EXTRACTS AND LEAF DECOCTION OF TARO (COLOCASSIA ESCULENTA) AND KETOCONAZOLE ON ISOLATED TRICHOPHYTON MENTAGROPHYTES

Pharmacology Thesis

Since the dawn of time, herbal medicine has been popular to treat diseases since there has always been a wide gap between the cost of pharmaceutical. With these, the researchers considered on of the most grown herb in the archipelago the taro Colocasia esculenta Linne plant to investigate on its petiole and leaf for its anti-fungal effect compared to the commercially prepared Ketoconazole 2% cream. In the procedure, heated taro petiole crude extract was obtained and then divided into doses used in the test, these are as follows: 0.5 ml (low), 1.0 ml (medium) and 2.0 ml (high); gained by using the formula (log initial dose - interval dose = desired dose) where initial dose is the medium dose of 1.0 ml and interval dose of 0.3. Leaf decoction was used and obtained, measured and separated into different doses same with the heated taro petioles extracts. Ketoconazole cream was liquefied using water bath evaporation method and a dose of 1 ml was taken to be used in the test. Prior to the susceptibility tsting of using Brain Heart Infussion Broth (BHIB) cultured Trichophyton mentagrophytes were inoculated to the 8ml big tubes with BHIB and incubated for 24 hours to maximize their growth in the broth. 24 hours later, it was dispensed to the small tubes using the Serial Tenfold Diffusion Method. Turbidity of the tubes will be used as marker for positive (=) growth and negative growth if the BHIB is the same color with the negative ( - ) control. There were 10 tests per dose to facilitate increase chance of proving the effect of the agent. Values will be expressed in Minimum Inhibitory Concentration. It has been observed that Trichophyton mentagrophytes were more susceptible to the medium dose extract of leaf petiole with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.2625 g/ml than heated taro petiole with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.0976 g/ml. However, the heated taro petiole extract is less susceptible compared to the leaf decoction of the standard antifungal agent, ketoconazole, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.0032 g/ml. Further studies are encouraged to determine the constituent on the determination of the main active constituent responsible for its anti-fungal effect, the elucidation of mechanism of action by which the Taro (Colocasia esculenta (gabi) exerts its anti-fungal effect.

Department of Pharmacology