Background and Objective: Dermatophytosis is a significant skin disease in humans and animals, with increasing resistance to conventional treatments. This study aimed to determine the antifungal activity of petroleum ether, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and hydroethanol extracts from the aerial parts of Artemisia khorassanica, Artemisia scoparia, and Artemisia vulgaris against common dermatophytic fungi, including Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton verrucosum, Epidermophyton floccosum, and Microsporum canis.
Methods: This descriptive study examined the antifungal activity of various extracts from the aerial parts of Artemisia khorassanica, Artemisia scoparia, and Artemisia vulgaris against fungal isolates of Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton verrucosum, Microsporum canis, and Epidermophyton floccosum. The aerial parts of the three Artemisia species were extracted using five solvents: petroleum ether, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and 50% hydroethanol. The extracts were screened for antidermatophytic effects against the fungi mentioned above, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined using the agar dilution method. The most active extracts underwent preliminary phytochemical testing.
Results: In the initial screening, Microsporum canis and Trichophyton verrucosum showed the highest sensitivity (86.66%) and resistance (100%) to the tested extracts, respectively. Extracts from Artemisia scoparia exhibited the broadest range of activity. The most effective extracts, with an MIC of 78.12 µg/ml, were also from this plant. Hydroethanol extracts from all plant species demonstrated the least antidermatophytic activity. Preliminary phytochemical studies revealed the presence of terpenoids in all petroleum ether and dichloromethane extracts of the plant species.
Conclusion: Some lipophilic compounds, particularly in the petroleum ether and dichloromethane extracts of Artemisia scoparia, exhibit significant in vitro antidermatophytic activity.