Antifungal and antioxidant activities of organic and aqueous extracts of Annona squamosa Linn. leaves

An increasing demand for natural additives has shifted the attention from synthetic to natural antioxidants and antifungal agents. This study was carried out to evaluate the antifungal and antioxidant activities of methanol, chloroform, and aqueous extracts of Annona squamosa Linn. leaves. The antifungal activities of all extracts of A. squamosa leaves against five different strains of fungi (Alternaria alternata, Candida albicans, Fusarium solani, Microsporum canis, and Aspergillus niger) were evaluated by the agar well diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration of each extract was assessed by antifungal susceptibility using the broth microdilution method. The antioxidant potential of each extract was determined by free radicals (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, nitric oxide, and hydrogen peroxide) scavenging activity and reducing power property of A. squamosa leaves. Both organic and aqueous extracts were found to express dose-dependent inhibition against all tested fungi strains in both agar well diffusion and broth dilution methods. The free radical scavenging activity and reducing power property of all extracts were found to be concentration dependent, with the methanol extract exhibiting higher antioxidant activity than the chloroform extract, which was more effective than the aqueous extract of A. squamosa leaves. Results of phytochemical analysis of extracts showed the presence of glycosides, saponins, tannins, flavonoids, phenols, etc. The results obtained from in vitro studies of antifungal and antioxidant activities clearly suggest that the methanol, chloroform, and aqueous extracts of A. squamosa leaves possess antifungal and antioxidant activity.