ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF PLAGIOCHASMA APPENDICULATUM AND PELLIA ENDIVIIIFOLIA

Bryophytes are the closest modern relatives of the predecessors to the earliest terrestrial plants and have shown to be brilliant chemists since they have long been a favorite treatment among tribal peoples all over the world, who use its pharmacological characteristics to treat a wide range of ailments. As bryophytes’ Phytochemistry contains a diverse range of biologically active compounds such as lipids, proteins, steroids, organic acids, alcohols, aliphatic and aromatic compounds, polyphenols, terpenoids, acetogenins and phenylquinones, it’s no surprise that substances derived from these ancestral plants are widely used as antitumor, antipyretic, insecticidal and antimicrobial agents. The present investigation has been an attempt to evaluate the antifungal potential of two ethnic botanically important liverworts, Plagiochasma appendiculatum, and Pellia endiviifolia. The methanolic extract was tested against two fungal species, Candida albicans MTCC 1637 and Aspergillus niger MTCC 1235. In-vitro antifungal activity was evaluated by disc diffusion method, which revealed inhibition of Candida albicans MTCC 1637 and Aspergillus niger MTCC 1235 growth. Plagiochasma appendiculatum proved to be more effective against both tested fungi; especially Candida albicans. These results confirm the antifungal activities in liverwort extracts.