Evaluation of Antifungal Properties and Phytochemical Composition of Selected Euphorbiaceae Species

Aims: To study antifungal activity and phytochemical analysis of Euphorbiaceae members.

Study Design: Experimental.

Place and Duration of Study: The research was carried out at the Department of Botany, Maharashtra College of Arts, Science & Commerce, Mumbai, India, over a period spanning from April 2022 to December 2023.

Methodology: Six medicinal plants from the Euphorbiaceae family were tested for their antifungal activity in vitro and phytochemical profile. Plant extracts were prepared in different concentrations of methanolic extracts and tested against five plant pathogenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium chrysogenum, Rhizopus stolonifer, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Alternaria alternata for their antifungal activity. In preliminary screening, all the plant extracts were tested against fungi using the poisoned food technique.

Results: The extract with 20% concentration was found to be most effective in inhibiting mycelia growth. Phyllanthus emblica exhibited 100% inhibition in the extract with 20% conc. Whereas, Codiaeum variegatum exhibited the lowest inhibition i.e. 10.74% in the extract with 5% conc. In preliminary phytochemical analyses, all the plants showed the presence of tannin, saponin, flavonoid, phenol, alkaloids, terpenoids, glycosides and protein except in Jatropha pandurifolia in which few secondary metabolites were present.