Evaluation of Synergistic Activity of Black Seed Extract (Nigella sativa), Honey and Zamzam Water on Candida albicans

Abstract

Pathogenic yeast are resistant to the existing synthetic antifungal agents, demanding additional efforts to seek more effective therapeutic agents as antifungal against such pathogens. In order to achieve this, we try to evaluate the antifungal activity of black seed, honey, and Zam-zam water using C. albicans as the test organism. Samples of black seed powder, honey (HN), and Zam-zam water (ZZ) were collected from Katsina metropolis, Katsina state. The samples were then transported to the Microbiology laboratory, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University Katsina for analysis. An ethanolic extraction of the black seed was prepared. The clinical isolates C. albicans were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). The agar well diffusion method was used in evaluating the synergistic activity of the test samples on C. albicans. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of the test samples were also evaluated. The result shows that ethanolic black seed extract (BSE) has the highest zone of inhibition at 14mm, followed by honey (HN) with 12mm, while Zam-zam (ZZ) water had the least at 2mm. The MIC and MFC of the most active sample were found to be at 30mg/ml and 60mg/ml, respectively.