TY - JOUR AU - Asha, R. AU - Nisha, P. AU - Khan, K. Suneer AU - Mythili, A. AU - Hassan, A. Shafeeq AU - Selvam, K. Panneer AU - Manikandan, P. AU - Shobana, C. S. PY - 2014/10/01 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - IN VITRO ACTIVITY OF VARIOUS POTENCIES OF HOMEOPATHIC DRUG THUJA AGAINST MOLDS INVOLVED IN MYCOTIC KERATITIS JF - International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences JA - Int J Pharm Pharm Sci VL - 6 IS - 10 SE - Original Article(s) DO - UR - https://journals.innovareacademics.in/index.php/ijpps/article/view/3591 SP - 555-559 AB - <p class="Default"><strong>Objective: </strong>Isolation and characterisation of clinically isolated fungi from mycotic keratitis and exploration of the <em>in vitro</em> efficacy of various potencies of homeopathic preparations of <em>Thuja occidentalis</em> on the ocular fungal isolates.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Clinical samples were collected from fungal keratitis patients attending a tertiary eye care hospital in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu state, India. The scrapings were also subjected to Gram staining and 10% KOH mount to detect the presence of fungal hyphae. The fungal isolates were subjected to lacto phenol cotton blue (LCB) mount employing cello tape flag method. Homeopathic drug <em>Thuja occidentalis</em> with various potencies <em>viz</em>., Q, 30 C, 200 C, 1 M, 10 M and 50 M were investigated for the growth inhibition of various fungal isolates by plate assay method. Further, a follow up analyses with varying dilutions of Q and 10 M homeopathic potencies of <em>Thuja</em> was carried out for the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration of both microdilution and minimum fungicidal concentration for the <em>Biopolaris</em> isolates.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 35 samples analysed, <em>Fusarium</em> spp. (n=5), <em>Aspergillus flavus </em>(n=6)<em>, Bipolaris</em> spp. (n=3), <em>Exserohilum </em>spp. (n=3) and <em>Curvularia</em> spp (n=3) <em>were identified. </em>All the potencies of <em>Thuja </em>had good inhibitory activity against <em>Bipolaris</em> spp., followed by <em>Curvularia</em> spp., <em>Exserohilum </em>spp. and <em>Aspergillus flavus. </em>Statistical analysis revealed significant inhibition of all the test isolates by <em>Thuja</em> Q and 50 M. Significant growth inhibition was exhibited by <em>Thuja</em> 30, 200 C, I M for <em>Bipolaris</em>, <em>Exserohilum</em> &amp; <em>A. flavus </em>isolate and <em>Thuja</em> 10 M for all the isolates tested except Fusaria. It was revealed that for the <em>Biopolaris</em> isolates BS1, BS2, BS3 <em>Thuja</em> 10 M and <em>Thuja</em> Q had MIC and MFC of 0.125/10[20,00]<sup>0</sup>&amp; 0.0625/10 and 0.25/10[20][00]<sup>0</sup> &amp; 0.125/10, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The present investigation concludes that homeopathic drug <em>Thuja</em> has good inhibitory activity against the fungi causing keratitis, irrespective of the potencies. It is evident that no definite co-relation exists between various potencies of the same homeopathic drug with regard to their antimycotic properties.</p> ER -