Antifungal Activity of Erigeron floribundus (Asteraceae) from Cote d'Ivoire; West Africa

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Erigeron floribundus is a reputed medicinal plant used in Cote d'Ivoire; West Africa for the treatment of skin disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of this plant against fungi from human origin. Method: Dichloromethane; methanol 80and aqueous extracts from the leaves with stem were tested for their antifungal activity against 7 strains of dermatophytes (Epidermophyton floccosum; Microsporum canis; M. gypseum; M. langeronii; Trichophyton mentagrophytes; T. rubrum; T. soudanense) and one strain of the filamentous fungus; Scopulariopsis brevicaulis. The assays were performed using the agar dilution method at serial concentrations ranging from 2 to 0.06 mg/ml. Result: Only the dichloromethane extract exhibited an activity against Microsporum canis and a broad spectrum of good antifungal activity against all the remaining fungi tested.Conclusion: To the best our knowledge; this is the first report of the antifungal activity of Erigeron floribundus against a wide range of dermatophytes; including Microsporum langeronii and Trichophyton soudanense; the most frequent dermatophytes in Cote d'Ivoire. E. floribundus might be potential sources for improved traditional medicines or new antidermatophyte agents for the treatment of dermatomycoses