ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITIES OF AN EXTRACT AND CREAM FORMULATION OF COLA MILLENII K. SCHUM. IN DERMATOPHYTE-INFECTED WISTAR RATS

T. S. Agidigbi*, T. O. Lawal, T. O. Ajala, O. A. Odeku and B. A. Adeniyi*

ABSTRACT

Objective: Cola millenii K. Schum (Malvaceae) bark have found use in traditional medicine for the treatment of skin infections such as ringworm and scabies. The present study aimed to evaluate the In vitro and In vivo antifungal potentials of extract and cream formulations of Cola milleni K. Schum. bark in dermatomycoses-infected wistar rats. The antifungal activities of methanol extract and formulated cream containing the bark extract of C. millenii were investigated in vitro and in vivo against Trichophyton interdigitalis, T. rubrum, and Epidermophyton floccosum. Susceptibility testing and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined by the agar diffusion and agar dilution methods, respectively. In vivo, male wistar rats infected with T. rubrum were treated with the formulated cream and the efficacy assessed using the empirical clinical assessment score. Histopathology using periodic acid schiff (PAS) staining technique and the haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining techniques were used to monitor the therapeutic efficacy. In vitro, the methanolic bark extract had activity against all three dermatophytes with an MIC between 50- 75 μg/ml. Antimicrobial susceptibilities of the extract and cream formulations showed a dose-dependent response against the dermatophyte’s species tested. Treatment of T. rubrum infected-rat with methanol extract and the formulated cream induced the clearance of fungal hyphae from the skin tissue and effected wound healing by day 17 (8 days of treatment regime) compare to control groups. These findings suggest that the extract and cream of Cola millenii have antifungal activities and are effective against commonly occurring dermatophytes.

Keywords: Cola millenii, dermatophytes, antifungal, skin infection, Cola millenii cream.