COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF NATURAL REMEDIES VERSUS MICONAZOLE NITRATE SALT AGAINST

Several natural inhibitors and miconazole nitrate salt were evaluated for their antifungal activity against Candida albicans. Spectrophotometer analysis was used to determine the growth rates of C. albicans in the presence of specific inhibitors. Garlic, grapefruit seed extract, tea tree oil, and probiotics were investigated for their potential anti-Candida activity at different concentrations. Miconazole nitrate salt suppressed the growth rates of C. albicans to < 0.02 hr-1 at concentrations above 100 µg mL-1. Of the natural inhibitors investigated, grapefruit seed extract exhibited the highest anti-Candida activity at concentrations of 100-120 µg mL-1, lowering the growth rate to below 0.02 hr-