Inhibitory Effect of Aqueous and Ethanolic Extracts of Chavill Leaf and Stem on Aspartyl Proteinase Secreted from Candida albicans

Chavill, Ferulago carduchorum Boiss, a member of Apiaceae family, has been extensively used from ancient times. The present study aimed at evaluating the inhibitory effect of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of chavill leaf and stem on aspartyl proteinase secreted from Candida albicans.
The current cross sectional study was conducted on 10 C. albicans species isolated from immunocompromised patients in Yasooj, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Iran. The anticandidal activities of the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of chevill leaf and stem were evaluated using the 24-hour broth microdilution CLSI (the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) method. In addition, time-kill test was carried out to evaluate anticandidal activities of the extracts. Also, hyphal formation, Sap enzyme activity, and SAP1gene expression were investigated on the best plant extract tested.
The current study data indicated that ethanolic extract of chavill leaf represented the highest antifungal activity compared with those of the other extracts (P The results of the current study indicated that ethanolic extract of chavill leaf has an inhibitory effect on aspartyl proteinase secreted from C. albicans. In addition, the ethanolic extract of chavill leaf can significantly reduce the expression of virulence genes such as SAP1 in C. albicans.