ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY AND COMPARISON OF ANTITRICHOPHYTIC ACTIVITY LEAVES OF ASPILIA AFRICANA (PERS.) CD ADAMS VAR. AFRICANA, AGERATUM CONYZOIDES L. AND ACANTHOSPERMUM HISPIDUM DC. ON THE IN VITRO GROWTH OF TRICHOPHYTON MENTAGROPHYTES

At the end of an ethnobotanical survey carried out in the district of Abidjan, Aspilia africana var africana, Ageratum conyzoides and Acanthospermum hispidum, three plant species widely known with weeds, were selected among the most used plants in the treatment of microbial diseases especially fungal ones. Thus, to make our contribution to the fight against opportunistic dermatophytosis in high recrudescence in the AIDS patients, we tested on Sabouraud medium the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of each of the three plants on the in vitro growth of a strain of Trichophyton mentagrophytes. The tests were carried out according to the method of double dilution in tilting tubes. The obtained results show that the tested T. mentagrophytes strain was sensitive to all the studied plant extracts. However, the EF70 %Ac extract has a better antifungal potential on T. mentagrophytes (MCF = 1,56 mg/mL and IC50 = 0,29 mg/mL). Otherwise, T. mentagrophytes was more sensitive to ethanolic extracts (EF70 % : MCF from 1,56 to 3,12 mg/mL and IC50 from 0,29 to 0,86 mg/mL) than aqueous extracts (ATE : MCF from 3,12 to 25 mg/mL and IC50 from 1,42 to 3,12 mg/mL ; ARF : MCF from 6,25 to 12,50 mg/mL and IC50 from 0,58 to 3,15 mg/mL). This work justifies the use in traditional environment of these weeds as anti-fungal ones. Thus, the 70% ethanolic extracts of A. africana, A. conyzoides and A. hispidum can serve as a basis for the development of phytomedicines against dermatophytosis. Keywords : Dermatophytosis, Aspilia africana, Ageratum conyzoides, Acanthospermum hispidum, Trichophyton mentagrophyte