ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF Ocimum sanctum AND Justicia adhatoda FORMULATION MEDIATED SILVER NANOPARTICLES AGAINST Candida albicans

Introduction: Nanoparticles are unique and can considerably change physical chemical and biological properties of any herbal or chemical formulation due to their surface to volume ratio. Nanoparticles occur in various forms and are complicated, nanosized particles ranging from 1 to 100 nm. Silver nanoparticles are widely used in various fields, including medical, food, healthcare due to their peculiar physical as well as chemical properties. Biologically synthesised silver nanoparticles exhibit high yield, solubility and height stability. Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) has antifungal, anti-viral, antibacterial as well as antioxidant properties. Tulsi has the ability to alleviate congestion in lungs due to cold and fever. Justicia adhatoda, commonly called Malabar nut,vasa, vasaka is a plant native to Asia. It is generally used in traditional medicines. Justicia adhatoda is extensively used for treating cough and respiratory ailments.

Aim: This In vitro study focuses on analysing the antifungal activity of Ocimum sanctum and Justicia adhatoda mediated silver nanoparticles against Candida albicans and comparing their zone of inhibition with a standard synthetic antifungal agent.

Materials and Methods: Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles was done using the plants Ocimum sanctum and Justicia adhatoda and UV-visible spectrometric analysis was done to assess the antifungal activity against Candida albicans.

Results: The zone of inhibition increased gradually, as the concentration of the sample was increased.The bio-synthesised silver nanoparticles exhibit significant antifungal activity with minimal side-effects. The results depicted that tulsi and vasa mediated AgNps does exhibit antifungal activity (zone of inhibition) upto 14 mm, which is significantly lower than the standard antifungal agent fluconazole (32 mm).