Anti-dermatophytic activity of Drynaria quercifolia (L.) J. Smith

Drynaria quercifolia, a non flowering group of plant, is being used by the tribals against skin diseases. It is found to be growing in rain forest of Western Ghats of Maharashtra. The aim of the present study was to assay antidermatophytic activity different extract of D. quercifolia. Four different solvents such as ethanol, methanol, acetone, di-ethyl ether and water, were used to extract the bioactive compounds from the rhizome of D. quercifolia. Agar dilution and disk diffusion methods were used to screen the antidermatophytic activity against infectious disease causing pathogenic fungi such as Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis, M. gypseum, T. rubrum and Epidermophyton floccosum. The ethanol extract of the dried rhizome of D. quercifolia did not show inhibitory activity up to concentration of 20mg ml-1. The solvents of acetone, methanol and water also did not show any efficacy for extraction from D. quercifolia rhizome but di-ethyl ether with semi-polarity gave clear zone to antifungal activity compounds. Also high performance thin layer chromatography studies confirmed that the ethyle acetate extracts of rhizome of D. quercifolia contains triterpenes and coumarins and since coumarins soluble in semi-polar di-ethyl ether solvent, may be these compounds are responsible for antidermatophytic activity of this plant.