Formulation and Pharmaceutical Characterization of Antidermatophyte Creams of Methanol Leaf Extracts of Euphobiahirta, Jatropha curcas and Acantus montanus

Background: The search for novel natural products from medicinal plants against multidrug fungal strains is very essential to overcome the resistance complication. Objective: This study investigates cream formulations of methanolic crude extracts of E. hirta, J. curcas and A. montanus for their pharmaceutical characteristics and antifungal potentials, especially against some drug resistant dermatophytes isolated from work equipment of local hair dressers. Methods: Dermatophytes samples, forty-four in total, collected under aseptic conditions were inoculated into sterile Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) broth and incubated at 25 - 27 °C for 5 - 14 days. Positive growths were examined macroscopically and microscopically and confirmed with the aid a fungi atlas. Phytochemical constituents of the plants extracts were determined and found to contain some important secondary metabolites. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed using agar diffusion assay. To assess the synergistic interactive inhibition between the methanol crude extracts, the checkerboard assay was adopted. Using the best extract combination ratios obtained from the checkerboard assay, creams were formulated with the methanolic crude extracts and the pharmaceutical properties of the creams determined. Results: MIC of the individual extracts showed that Trichophyton schoenleinii and Microsporon ferugenium were resistant to all the extracts except J. curcas. For T. schoenleinii, the checkerboard assay showed that the combination of J. curcas and A. montanus had the best anti-fungal activity at the ratios of 8:2, 7:3, 6:4 and 5:5, while the combination of J. curcas and E. hirta also gave an excellent result at the ratios of 6:4 and 5:5. A. montanus and E. hirta combination showed activity only at the ratio of 6:4. For Microsporon ferugenium, the combination of J. curcas and A. montanus showed excellent result at the ratio of 7:3, 6:4, 5:5 and 4:6, combination of J. curcas and E. hirta showed activity at the ratio of 6:4 and 5:5, and A. montanus and E. hirta combination at the ratio of 6:4, 5:5 and 4:6 showed good results, while at other ratios, additive, indifference and antagonism were observed for both test isolates. All cream formulations exhibited good pharmaceutical characteristics. Conclusion: The formulated creams have good anti-fungal and pharmaceutical properties. The inhibitory effects of the methanolic extracts and the formulated creams are concentration dependent. Overall, the study scientifically validates that methanolic leaf extracts of A. montanus, E. hirta and J. curcas are potent antifungal agents.