Abstract
Although numerous drugs are available for the treatment of superficial fungi infections of skin, and yet the clinical effects of most of such drugs are not satisfactory. In the hope of searching for effective drugs for superficial fungi infections, the authors observed fungistatic effects of Pyrethri Flos, a common herb in Korea, with water extract (PFWE), ethanol extract (PFEE), and methanol extract (PFME) from Pyrethrum cinerariaefolium V. In in vitro studies, the spores of fungi were inoculated on Sabouraud's glucose agar media which contained Pyrethri Flos extracts in each concentrations of $500\;{\mu}g/ml$, $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ and $5,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ respectively, and the growth of the fungi was observed for 3 weeks. The species of the fungi used in these experiments were Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, Microsporum nanum, Microsporum gypseum, Microsporum cookei, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton tonsurans and Trichophyton verrucosum. The results of these studies were as follows; 1. The growth of M. nanum & T. rubrum was slightly inhibited by PFWE $500\;{\mu}g/ml$, and the growth of M. nanum, M. cookei & T. rubrum was slightly inhibited by PFWE $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$. The growth of E. floccosum, M. gypseum & M. cookei was slightly inhibited, however the growth of M. canis, M. nanum, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum & T. tonsurans was significantly inhibited by PFWE $5,000\;{\mu}g/ml$. With $500\;{\mu}g/ml$ of PFEE, the growth of M. canis, M. nanum, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum & T. tonsurans was significantly inhibited, and moderate inhibition of M. cookei growth and slight inhibition E. floccosum & M. gypseum were observed. The growth of M. canis, M. nanum, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum & T. tonsurans was significantly inhibited, and the growth of E. floccosum, M. gypseum & M. cookei was moderately inhibited by PFEE $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$. Significant inhibitions of the growth of E. floccosum, M. canis, M. nanum, M. gypseum, M. cookei, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum & T. tonsurans were observed by PFEE $5,000\;{\mu}g/ml$. 3. The growth of E. floccosum & M. cookei was moderately inhibited, and the growth of M. canis, M. nanum, M. gypseum, M. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum & T. tonsurans was significantly inhibited by PFME $500\;{\mu}g/ml$. But the growth of E. floccosum, M. canis, M. nanum, M. gypseum, M. cookei, T. mentagrophytes, T, rubrum & T. tonsurans was significantly inhibited, and the growth of T. verrucosum was slightly inhibited in both PFME $1,000\;{\mu}g/ml$ and $5,000\;{\mu}g/ml$.