Short report Antifungal activity of Agapanthus africanus extractives D.N. Singh a,c, ⁎ , N. Verma c , S. Raghuwanshi b , P.K. Shukla b , D.K. Kulshreshtha a a Process and Medicinal Chemistry Division, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow-226001, India b Fermentation Technology Division, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow-226001, India c K.S. Saket PG College, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University Faizabad-224001, India Received 21 June 2006; accepted 14 December 2007 Available online 9 February 2008 Abstract The ethanolic extract of the rhizomes of Agapanthus africanus showed antifungal activity. In bioassay guided fractionation, n- butanol fraction exhibited significant activity against human pathogens. A saponin, (25R)-spirost-7-en-2α,3β,5α-triol-3-O-[α-L- rhamnopyranosyl(1→2)-[β-D-galactopyranosyl (1→3)] β-D-glucopyranoside (1), responsible for the antifungal activity and having MIC value of 15.6 μg/ml against Trychophyton mentagrophytes and Sporothrix schenekii, was isolated and identified as active constituent of the plant. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Agapanthus africanus; Spirostan saponin; Antifungal activity 1. Plant Agapanthus africanus L. Hoffm. (Liliaceae), rhyzomes collected in March 1995 from Ootagamund (Tamil Nadu) was authenticated by Botany Division, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, where a voucher specimen has been preserved. 2. Uses in traditional medicine No report. 3. Previously isolated constituents Sapogenins [1–5]. Fitoterapia 79 (2008) 298 – 300 www.elsevier.com/locate/fitote ⁎ Corresponding author. K.S. Saket PG College, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University, Faizabad-224001, India. Tel.: +91 94151 88503. E-mail address: dnsinghsaket@yahoo.com (D.N. Singh). 0367-326X/$ - see front matter © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2007.12.004