Evaluation of antifungal activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of Citrullus colocynthis fruit

Due to the development of resistance to antimicrobial drugs of several multi-drug resistance pathogens, the discovery of new active agents has become a major public health concern. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of hydroalcoholic extract of Citrullus colocynthis fruits against different Candida and Aspergillus strains. Anti-Candida and anti-Aspergillus effects of the extract were determined by disk diffusion and broth macrodilution methods. The study revealed that all tested fungal strains were sensitive to the extract. The growth inhibition value of the extract showed high antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger and a lesser effect against Candida guilliermondii and Candida kreusei. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values ranged from 1.56 to 12.5 mg/ml and 3.125 to 25 mg/ml, respectively. The results obtained in the present study suggest that C. colocynthis may be a valuable plant source of medicinally useful active compounds that can be used for the treatment of some fungal infections.