Abstract—Areca nut (Areca catechu L.) as one of traditional medicines is bactericidal and fungicidal. The anti-fungal compounds of areca nut are saponins, phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids and alkaloids. Chitosan is a biopolymer having fairly extensive benefits in biomedical and pharmaceutical fields, i.e. chitosan fibers can be used as surgical sutures, wound dressings, and drugs carriers. Chitosan is also biodegradable, non-toxic, non-immunogenic and biocompatible with the body tissue of mammals. Vulvovaginal candidiasis is a yeast infection caused by Candida albicans. This research aims to determine the synergistic effects of areca nut extract and chitosan toward Candida albicans. The research methods include the extraction of areca nut; the synthesis of chitosan 2% and the effectiveness test of in vitro using diffusion method. The result shows the synergistic effects of areca nut extract and chitosan toward Candidia albicans. The extracts of 5% of areca nut and 1.25% of chitosan are effective as fungicides against Candidia albicans. A mixture of 5% of areca nut and 1.25% of chitosan with the ratio of 1:1 shows optimum effectiveness as fungicides against Candida albicans, whereas 1.25% of chitosan is a more effective fungicide than positive control. The results are expected to be applied in the field of obstetrics, especially in postpartum care for the prevention of candidiasis or fluor albus by using effective and safe natural ingredients.
 

Index Terms—Areca nut extract, Candida albicans, chitosan, in vitro, synergistic

Cite: Rahajeng Putriningrum, Anis Nurhidayati, Tresia Umarianti, Kartika Dian Listyaningsih, and Wahyu Rima Agustin, "The Synergistic Effects of Areca Nut Extract and Chitosan toward Candida albicans in Vitro," International Journal of Pharma Medicine and Biological Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 142-145, April 2016. 10.18178/ijpmbs.5.2.142-145