In vitro Antifungal Activity of Methanolic and Chloroform Mint Leaves (Mentha piperita L.) Extracts Against Candida albicans

Abstract Oral health is an important thing that must be prioritized because the entire intake is first processed in the mouth. The most common disease found in the oral cavity is candidiasis, caused by Candida albicans which is an opportunistic intraoral pathogen that inhabits the oral cavity. Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) is one of the herbal plants which has proven in laboratory scale have antifungal activity. This research aimed to know the antifungal activity of methanolic and chloroform extract of M. Piperita L. leaves against C. albicans. Mint leaf extract was obtained by maceration method using methanol and chloroform as solvents. The extract concentration for antifungal activity test were 40%; 60% and 80% w/v solution in DMSO 100%. The Kirby-Bauer method was used to examine the antifungal activity of both extracts. The results showed that both methanolic and chloroform extract has antifungal activity against C. albicans. The antifungal of methanolic better than the chloroform extract. Both extracts at all concentration showed a greater antifungal activity compared to 25.000 μg ketoconazole as a positive control. The best antifungal activity of methanolic mint leaves extracts found at 80% concentration. It is no different in antifungal activity of chloroform mint leaves extract at all concentration tested.