Sains Malaysiana 54(11)(2025): 2633-2643

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2025-5411-05

 

 Alpinia conchigera Antifungal Activity against Oral Candida: An in vitro Study

(Aktiviti Antikulat Alpinia conchigera terhadap Candida Oral: Satu Kajian in vitro)

 

NUR UMAIRAH ATIQAH SABRI¹, NOR SYAZWANI MUHAMMAD ZAHIDAN¹, SITI NOOR ADNALIZAWATI ADNAN², ZULFAHMI SAID², KHALIJAH AWANG³, HASLINDA MOHD SALLEH³ & NORMALIZA AB MALIK^4,*

 

¹Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

²Department of Basic Science, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

³Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

⁴Department of Conservative Dentistry and Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

Received: 15 October 2024/Accepted: 24 September 2025

 

Abstract

Candida species are the dominant inhabitants in the oral cavity and can potentially develop into opportunistic pathogens in immunocompromised individuals, leading to oral infections. The emergence of Candida resistance against antifungal drugs has called for an alternative. This study aimed to evaluate the antifungal efficacy of n-hexane extract and its bioactive compound, 1'-S-1'-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA), isolated from the rhizome of Alpinia conchigera against oral Candida. A crude n-hexane extract (HE) was obtained from the dried, ground A. conchigera rhizome using the maceration technique. The HE was subjected to column chromatography to isolate ACA, followed by structural elucidation and purity confirmation using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Oral Candida species were retrieved from the oral rinses of the older adults. The antifungal effects of HE and ACA against oral Candida isolates were screened using the disc diffusion assay, followed by an evaluation of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC). A total of 21.391 g of HE was obtained, yielding 3.7573 mg of ACA with a purity of 93.67%. The largest inhibition zones were observed for HE and ACA, both at a concentration of 100 mg/mL against C. albicans (12.0 ± 0.8 mm) and C. glabrata (10.0 ± 0.8 mm), respectively. The MIC and MFC values of HE ranged from 0.7 to 12.5 mg/mL and from 0.7 to 25 mg/mL, respectively. Meanwhile, for ACA, both MIC and MFC values are within the range of 0.7 to 25 mg/mL. This in vitro study showed that both HE and ACA possess antifungal properties against Candida isolates, which highlights their potential as natural antifungal agents for incorporation into oral care products.

Keywords: Fungal; herbal plant; natural compound; oral health; 1'-S-1'-acetoxychavicol acetate

 

Abstrak

Candida merupakan spesies yang dominan di dalam rongga mulut dan berpotensi menjadi patogen bagi individu yang mempunyai sistem imun yang lemah, serta boleh menyebabkan jangkitan oral. Insiden kerintangan Candida terhadap ubat antikulat juga memerlukan penyelesaian alternatif. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk menilai keberkesanan antikulat ekstrak n-heksana dan sebatian bioaktifnya, 1'-S-1'-asetoksikavikol asetat (ACA) yang diekstrak daripada rizom Alpinia conchigera terhadap Candida oral. Ekstrak n-heksana (HE) diperoleh daripada serbuk rizom A. conchigera yang kering melalui teknik maserasi. ACA kemudiannya diekstrak daripada HE melalui teknik kromatografi, diikuti oleh penentuan struktur dan pengesahan ketulenan menggunakan resonans magnet nukleus (NMR) dan kromatografi cecair prestasi tinggi (HPLC). Spesies Candida oral telah diperoleh daripada bilasan mulut warga emas. Kesan antikulat HE dan ACA terhadap Candida oral diuji melalui asai resapan cakera, diikuti dengan penentuan kepekatan rencatan minimum (MIC) dan kepekatan fungisid minimum (MFC). Sebanyak 21.391 g HE telah diperoleh dan menghasilkan 3.7573 mg ACA dengan ketulenan 93.67%. Zon perencatan terbesar dicatatkan untuk HE dan ACA pada kepekatan 100 mg/mL masing-masing terhadap C. albicans (12.0 ± 0.8 mm) dan C. glabrata (10.0 ± 0.8 mm). Nilai MIC dan MFC HE berada dalam julat 0.7 hingga 12.5 mg/mL dan 0.7 hingga 25 mg/mL. Manakala bagi ACA, kedua-dua nilai MIC dan MFC berada dalam julat 0.7 hingga 25 mg/mL. Kajian in vitro ini menunjukkan bahawa HE dan ACA mempunyai sifat antikulat terhadap Candida, yang menunjukkan potensinya sebagai agen antikulat semula jadi untuk dimasukkan ke dalam produk penjagaan mulut.

Kata kunci: Kesihatan mulut; kulat; sebatian semula jadi; tumbuhan herba; 1'-S-1'-asetoksikavikol asetat

 

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*Corresponding author; email: liza_amalik@usim.edu.my