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@article{206421,
        author = {Ms. Saloni S. Yadav and Mr. Bagwan L. R. and Dr. Bindu A. U.},
        title = {SYNERGISTIC ANTIFUNGAL POTENTIAL OF POLYHERBAL EXTRACTS AGAINST PATHOGENIC FUNGI: AN IN-VITRO EVALUATION},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {2},
        pages = {1566-1573},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=206421},
        abstract = {Background: Fungal infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus fumigatus represent a growing global health challenge, particularly among immunocompromised patients. The emergence of antifungal resistance, adverse effects associated with synthetic antifungal agents, and high treatment costs have stimulated interest in plant-based therapeutics. Polyherbal formulations, owing to their synergistic phytochemical interactions, may offer enhanced antifungal efficacy with reduced toxicity.
Objective: The present study aimed to formulate and evaluate a polyherbal extract composed of Azadirachta indica (Neem), Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi), Moringa oleifera, and Tinospora cordifolia for its in vitro antifungal activity against selected pathogenic fungi and to compare its efficacy with individual plant extracts and the standard antifungal drug Fluconazole.
Methodology: Individual plant materials were subjected to Soxhlet extraction using 70% ethanol. Equal proportions of the extracts were combined to prepare the polyherbal formulation. Preliminary phytochemical screening was performed to identify major bioactive constituents. Antifungal activity was evaluated against Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus fumigatus using the agar well diffusion method at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 mg/mL. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) studies were conducted to determine antifungal potency. All experiments were performed in triplicate and results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation.
Results: Phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, saponins, and terpenoids in the extracts. The polyherbal formulation demonstrated concentration-dependent antifungal activity against all tested fungal strains and consistently produced larger zones of inhibition than the individual extracts. Against Candida albicans, the polyherbal formulation exhibited inhibition zones of 16.5 ± 0.3 mm, 24.8 ± 0.4 mm, and 31.8 ±
0.2 mm at 25, 50, and 100 mg/mL, respectively. Similar enhanced activity was observed against Aspergillus niger (29.4 ± 0.3 mm) and Aspergillus fumigatus (28.7 ± 0.3 mm) at 100 mg/mL. The polyherbal extract showed a lower MIC value (125 µg/mL) compared with the individual extracts, indicating superior antifungal potency. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences among treatment groups (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The polyherbal formulation exhibited potent and broad-spectrum antifungal activity, surpassing the efficacy of individual plant extracts and demonstrating activity comparable to Fluconazole. The observed synergistic effects among phytoconstituents suggest that the formulation may serve as a promising natural antifungal candidate for the management of fungal infections. Further in vivo and clinical investigations are warranted to validate its therapeutic potential.},
        keywords = {Polyherbal formulation; Antifungal activity; Candida albicans; Aspergillus niger; Aspergillus fumigatus; Azadirachta indica; Ocimum sanctum; Moringa oleifera; Tinospora cordifolia; Phytochemicals; Minimum inhibitory concentration; Synergistic effect.},
        month = {July},
        }