In Vitro Evaluation of Corn Silk Extract as a Potential Alternative Therapy for Vulvovaginal Candidiasis
Article Category: Original Article
Published Online: Dec 15, 2023
Page range: 28 - 32
Received: Apr 03, 2023
Accepted: Jul 20, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/amb-2023-0039
Keywords
© 2023 P. Liberty et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Aim
To determine the effectivity of corn silk extract in inhibiting the growth of C. albicans.
Materials and Methods
Corn silk used in this study was Zea mays L. var. indurata and was collected from Desa Suka Makmur, Deli Serdang, Sumatera Utara Province, Indonesia. Tested C. albicans is C. albicans from VVC patients, obtained from the Microbiology Laboratory of Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara. Preparation of this study included corn silk extraction by maceration method with 96% ethanol, followed by dilution with 10% DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) into concentrations of 75%, 50%, 25%, and 12.5%. Well diffusion method was used to detect growth inhibition of C. albicans and agar dilution was used to determine MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) and MFC (Minimum Fungicidal Concentration) of corn silk extract. Data were statistically analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis analysis.
Results
From this study, corn silk extract of all concentrations showed an inhibitory effect against C. albicans. The mean diameter of inhibition zones for each concentration respectively from highest to lowest concentration were 27.4875 ± 0.3838 mm, 26.7250 ± 0.2533 mm, 25.7250 ± 0.2598 mm, and 24.9375 ± 0.2462 mm. Kruskal-Wallis analysis showed significant results (p-value 0.001). MIC and MFC were 1.5625% and 6.25%, respectively.
Conclusions
Corn silk extract of concentrations 75%, 50%, 25%, and 12,5% have antifungal activity against C. albicans. The higher the concentration of corn silk extract, the higher the efficacy in inhibiting the growth of C. albicans.