Punica granatum as a salutiferous superfruit in the treatment of oral candidiasis – An in-vitro study

CONTEXT: The rise in the incidence of clinical resistance to antifungal therapy and failure to respond in recent years underscores the need for a time-honored approach to treat the disease using natural drugs instead of synthetic drugs, which have lesser adverse effects and good patient response. Punica granatum (pomegranate) is a fruit that has admirable medicinal value. AIMS: The study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antifungal efficacy of P. granatum peel extract against oral Candida compared with clotrimazole. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The study design involves an in-vitro study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Saliva from candidiasis patients was inoculated and cultured on 60 separate Sabouraud dextrose agar plates and incubated at 37°C for 48 h from which Candida species were collected. Agar well-diffusion method was followed. Different concentrations of P. granatum peel extracts, ethanol solvent (control) and standard clotrimazole were added into the wells and allowed to diffuse at room temperature for 2 h. The plates were incubated at 37°C for 48 h. The antifungal potential of test compounds was determined based on the mean diameter of the zone of inhibition around the well in millimeters. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Statistical analysis was performed using IBM software SPSS version 20 at one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: Antifungal efficacies of P. granatum peel extract and clotrimazole were statistically significant, and there was an increase in inhibitory efficacy with an increase in concentration. Minimum inhibitory concentration of P. granatum peel extract approximated with that of clotrimazole. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that P. granatum peel extract can be used as an effective natural substitute for synthetic antifungal agents.