The in vivo antifungal activity of the aqueous extract from Nigella sativa seeds.

The effect of an aqueous extract of Nigella sativa seeds was studied on candidiasis in mice. An intravenous inoculum of Candida albicans produced colonies of the organism in the liver, spleen and kidneys. Treatment of mice with the plant extract (6.6 mL/kg equivalent to 5 mg of estimated protein, once daily for 3 days) 24 h after the inoculation caused a considerable inhibitory effect on the growth of the organism in all organs studied. A 5-fold decrease in Candida in kidneys, 8-fold in liver and 11-fold in spleen was observed in the groups of animals post-treated with the plant extract. Histopathological examination of the respective organs confirmed these findings. These results indicate that the aqueous extract of Nigella sativa seeds exhibits inhibitory effect against candidiasis and this study validates the traditional use of the plant in fungal infections. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.