World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF ETHANOLIC PLANT EXTRACT IN MADRAS PEA PUMPKIN ANTIFUNGAL CREAM

D. Preethi*, R. Dhamodharan, P. Balamurugan, S. Bhuvaneshwari, A. Pavithra, S. Jaiganesan

ABSTRACT

The present study was undertaken to formulate and evaluate an antifungal cream containing ethanolic extract of Madras pea pumpkin plant. The plant material was collected, authenticated, shade-dried, powdered, and subjected to extraction using ethanol. The obtained ethanolic extract was evaluated for its preliminary phytochemical constituents and screened for potential antifungal activity. Based on the phytochemical screening, the extract was incorporated into a suitable cream base at different concentrations to develop an effective topical antifungal formulation. The prepared cream formulations were evaluated for various physicochemical parameters such as appearance, colour, odour, homogeneity, pH, spreadability, extrudability, washability, viscosity, and skin irritation. The antifungal activity of the extract and formulated cream was evaluated against selected fungal strains using a suitable microbiological method, such as agar well diffusion. The formulation showing satisfactory physicochemical properties and antifungal activity was considered as the optimized formulation. The study aims to explore the potential of Madras pea pumpkin ethanolic extract as a natural source for the development of a topical antifungal cream.

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