Phytochemical screening, Antioxidant and Anti Fungal activities of Certain Sudanese Medicinal Plants against Tinea capitis

Herbal medicines have been widely utilized as effective remedies for the prevention and treatment of multiple health conditions for centuries by almost every known culture. A significant fraction of the drugs are either natural products or derived from natural products. This study investigates the antifungal activity of Lawsonia inermis, Aloe vera and Senna alata against Tinea capitis. Tinea capitis is a superficial fungal infection (ring worm) that causes hair fall in specific parts of the head. The main objective of this study was to compare between the antimicrobial effects of the plants extracts on two Tinea capitis subspecies, as well as to detect the phytochemical constituents of each and their antioxidant activity. Fungal strains were isolated from patients and identified using microscopical examination and biochemical tests. All three samples were extracted with ethanol 96% and phytochemical constituents were detected using qualitative standard methods. Anti-microbial activity of three samples extracts with different concentrations was determined using Disc diffusion method and the inhibition zones were measured. The three plants were also screened for their antioxidant activity and gave positive results against the T.capitis species provided (T.verrucosm and T.rubrum). S.alata showed the highest activity against two species with slight difference followed by the L.inermis and A.vera respectively compared with the standard drug fluconazole.