acta 2_2015

330 SAMINA AFZAL et al.is used as a traditional medicine for the ailment ofaches, dysentery, enteritis, fever and tumors (9). Thegenus Corchorus has been reported for anticancerand cardiac activity in Indian medicinal system. Theinfusion of leaves is a demulcent, laxative, carminative,stimulant, appetizer and tonic. Cd has beenreported as analgesic and antipyretic (10). Literaturesurvey of this plant revealed phytochemical constituents:triterpenoids, sterols (11) and flavonoids(12) reported from chloroform extract of Cd. pentandraone,a novel compound isolated from Zp (13).Plant is reported as antimalarial (14), antifungal andantibacterial (11, 15). Keeping in view above mentionedliterature, it is obvious that both medicinalplants have great therapeutic potential and are availablein ample amount by cultivation. The objectiveof this study was to validate the Cd and Zp plantsagainst different strains of fungi by using differentparts of plants in different types of solvents and preliminaryphytochemical analysis of these emergingtherapeutic agents .MATERIALS AND METHODSThe plants Cd and Zp were collected fromPeruwal (District Khanewal). The plants were identifiedby Prof. Dr. Altaf Ahmad Dasti, PlantTaxonomist, Institute of Pure and Applied Biology,Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan,where their voucher specimens fl. p. 472/4 for Cdand fl. p. 235/5 for Zp were deposited.ExtractionThe shade-dried aerial parts and root part of Cd(1000 g) and aerial parts of Zp (1000 g) were subjectedto extraction successively with dichloromethaneand methanol (3 ◊ 6 L), respectively, atroom temperature with occasional shaking for 24 h.Extracts were concentrated by Rotavapor-R200 at35 O C. The methanolic and dichloromethane extractsof selected plants were collected in separate samplebottles labelled with different codes. The results aredepicted in Table 1.Antifungal assayTo study antifungal activity, we followed agartube dilution method. It was according to the protocolof Duraipandiyan and Ignacimuthu (16) to determinethis activity of plant extracts. In order to growfungus we used potato dextrose agar (PDA -Merck)media and it was used for inoculum preparations. Itwas composed of agar 15 g/L, dextrose 20 g/L andpotato infusion 4 g/L, approximately. For mediapreparation for fungus, we dissolved 9.75 g of potatodextrose agar (PDA) in 250 mL of distilled waterand then autoclaved the PDA media. The samples(15 mg/mL) were prepared and got concentration(250 µL/mL) for antifungal assay. Nystatin 100,000units/mL was used as positive control while DMSOwas utilized as negative control.Then, PDA media were dispensed as 4 mL volumesinto autoclaved cotton plugged and screwcapped test tubes and these were marked to 10 cmmark. These test tubes were cooled up to 50 O C andthese media were seeded with 67 µL of sample fromstock solution of plant extracts with the help ofpipette. In this way we got a final concentration of250 µg/mL. Test tubes were then placed in slantingposition and allowed to solidify at room temperature.A 4 mm part of fungus inoculum was subjectedto inoculation in the tubes with solidified mediaand the test sample. Positive test tubes and negativetest tubes having nystatin and DMSO, respectively,were inoculated with fungus. After that these testtubes were put in incubator at 30 O C for 48 h. Then,linear growth of fungus was calculated in the slant.As far as growth inhibition was required, it wasmeasured with reference to negative control ofDMSO. The experiment was performed in triplicatefor each fungus and sample. The percentage inhibi-Table 1. Results of the extraction of the plants Zaleya pentandra and Corchorus depressus.Plant name Part used SolventWeight of Abbreviationextract (g) for the extractsCorchorus depressus Aerial parts Dichloromethane 39.85 CDD(1000 g) Methanol 7.95 CDAMCorchorus depressus Roots Dichloromethane 9.4 CDRD(1000 g) Methanol 17.84 CDRMZaleya pentandra Aerial parts Dichloromethane 33 ZPAD(1000 g) Methanol 35 ZPAM