Kalaiselvi senthil

Clitora ternatea is a disease resistant plant used in ethno-pharmacological preparations for its high therapeutic value of primary and secondary metabolites. The aim of this study was to investigate the amount of quercetin in plant parts of Clitoria ternatea and its antifungal activity on dermatophytes. To obtain chemical pattern of flavonoids and quercetin in different plant parts, the extraction solvent was standardized and a finger printing profile of flavonoid was established by means of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The greatest amount of flavonoid was observed in methanolic extracts of C.ternatea flowers while the lowest level was found in the C.ternatea stem extracts, whereas HPLC fingerprinting of flavonoids in flowers was significantly different from stem and leaf extracts. These extracts also differ in their fungicidal capacity against dermatophytes tested, although they all showed significant antifungal activity against Candida sp.. and Aspergillus sp.. flower extracts showed concentration dependent strong inhibition on growth of Microsporum gypseum and Epidermophyton floccosum, and weak inhibition on Trichophyton metagraphytes. The results of this study will be used to promote application of C.ternatea for improving human health by providing antidermatophytic effect on skin infections.