Antifungal activity of three different varieties of Capsicum annuum against clinical isolates of Candida species.

OBJECTIVE: Acquired resistance to antifungal agents is rising among Candida species. Herbal extracts including Capsicum annum extracts have biological profits, which can be employed to overcome drug resistance in fungal species. The present study investigated the efficacy of different varieties of C. annum extracts against Candida species.

METHODS: Aqueous and alcoholic extracts of three different varieties of C. annum were prepared using the succulent method. Total values for compound extracts of C. annum var. cayenne, C. annum var. cayenne cultivar sabzevari, and C. annum var. cerasiforme were 43, 42, and 38 g, respectively. The clinical Candida isolates including C. albicans (n = 13), C. dubliniensis (n = 2), C. parapsilosis (n = 2), and C. tropicalis (n = 1); and reference strains of C. albicans (TIMML 1292 and TIMML 183), C. krusei (TIMML 1321), C. parapsilosis (TIMML 2201), and C. tropicalis (TIMML 731) were examined based on the M27-A3 guideline.

RESULTS: Aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Capsicum annum showed a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) range of more than 512 µg/ml against clinical and reference strains of Candida. There was no justifiable difference between the effects of these extracts on Candida species.

CONCLUSION: Both aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Capsicum annum could not exert a significant effective impact on clinical and reference strains of Candida. The difference in pepper spiciness did not show a significant role against Candida isolates. However, their possible effects might be different among other yeasts or filamentous fungi.