Formulation and Pharmaceutical Characterization of Antidermatophyte Creams of Methanol Leaf Extracts of Euphobia Hirta, Jatropha Curcas and Acantus Montanus

Background: The search for novel natural products from medicinal plants against multidrug fungal strains is very essential to overcome the resistance complication. Many researchers have focused on the antidermatophyte activity of crude extracts from naturally occurring plants. Objective: This study investigates cream formulations of methanolic crude extracts of E.hirta, J. curcas and A. montanus for their pharmaceutical characteristics and antifungal potentials, especially against some drug resistant dermatophytes isolated from work equipment of local hair dressers. Methods: Dermatophytes samples were inoculated into sterile Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA) broth and incubated. Positive growths were examined macroscopically and microscopically and confirmed with the aid of a fungi atlas. The phytochemical constituents of the plants extracts were also determined. Antifungal susceptibility testing was also carried out using agar diffusion assay. Using the best extract combination ratios obtained from the checkerboard assay, creams were formulated with the methanolic crude extracts and the pharmaceutical properties of the creams were determined. Results: MIC of the individual extracts showed that Trichophyton schoenleinii and Microsporon ferugenium were resistant to all the extracts except J. curcas . The checkerboard assay showed that the combination of J. curcas and A. montanus had the best anti-fungal activity for T. schoenleinii , while the combination of J. curcas and E.hirta also gave an excellent result. All the formulated creams exhibited good pharmaceutical characteristics. Conclusion: The formulated creams showed good anti-fungal and pharmaceutical properties. Overall, the study scientifically validates that methanolic leaf extracts of A. montanus, E. hirta and J. curcas are potent antifungal agents.