Effect of plant oils and extracts on the growth and extracellular protease production by Trichophyton rubrum, a potent human dermatophyte

The oils of neem (Azadirachta indica), madhuca (Madhuca indica), pongamia (Pongamia glabra), castor (Ricinus communis), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) and extract of turmeric (Curcuma longa) were used for in vitro protease production and growth of three variants of T. rubrum. The plant extracts were used in 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 μl/ml concentrations in acetone for determining MIC values. Different concentrations of the plant oil/extracts were mixed uniformly in basal synthetic medium and incubated at 30±2°C and the growth and protease activity was recorded at 24 h interval. The detection of inhibitory excretion of extracellular protease along with retardation of in vitro growth may further strengthen the role of enzyme in the pathogenesis of the organism.