In Vitro Antifungal Activity Test of Garlic Extract (Allium sativum L.) Againts Aspergillus niger

Abstract

Background: Aspergillosis that caused by Aspergillus niger is one of the leading causes of death in Aspergillosis cases, with the highest mortality rate. Resistance of A. niger to various antifungal drugs continues to increase each year. Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a potential alternative antifungal therapy due to its bioactive compounds such as allicin, saponin, flavonoid, and tanin. Objective: To determine the antifungal activity of garlic (Allium sativum L.) extract at concentrations of 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% against A. niger isolates in vitro. Methods: This study used a true experimental posttest-only control group design. The antifungal activity was assessed using the well diffusion method with garlic extract concentrations of 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, along with positive, negative, and 10% DMSO controls. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test due to the non-normal and non-homogeneous distribution, followed by the Games-Howell post hoc test. Results: The garlic extract produced inhibition zones that were considerably smaller than those in the positive control group. For this research, wells with a diameter of 6 mm were used. The inhibition zones for 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% concentrations were 7.25 mm, 6.5 mm, 6 mm, and 6.75 mm, respectively. The positive control (itraconazole 8 µg/mL) produced an inhibition zone of 17 mm. Conclusion: Garlic extract did not exhibit significant antifungal activity against A. niger, as indicated by the minimal inhibition zones compared to the positive control.