Abstract

The antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of Datura metel has been studied by different researchers in the north, west and east of Nigeria except the south-south precisely Delta State. The study was carried out to evaluate the antifungal activity of the crude ethanolic extract of the leaves of Datura metel Linn against Candida albicans. The agar well diffusion method was used in the study and all determinations were done in triplicates. A modified agar dilution method was used in the determination of Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The treatments used were 50, 100 and 150 mg/ml of plant extract for the Antifungal susceptibility test (AST) and 20–200 mg/ml of plant extract for the MIC determination. The antifungal activity of the plant extract was compared with those of Clotrimazole, a standard antifungal agent. The results of the antifungal screening revealed that the plant was most sensitive at 150 mg/ml with inhibition zones of 11–14 mm and least sensitive at 50 mg/ml with inhibition zones of 10-11 mm. Clotrimazole was significantly (P<0.05) more effective than the plant extract in inhibiting the yeast. The MIC and Minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) were at 20 and 160 mgml, respectively. The results revealed that the plant extract if formulated to avoid certain metabolic pathways that enhances resistance to antimicrobial agents can be considered as a potential antifungal agent against C. albicans.