Saponin SC-2 from
Solanum chrysotrichum
showed antifungal activity, demonstrated
in vitro, which inhibited the growth of dermatophytes, and
in vivo, to be effective in the treatment against
tinea pedis and
pityriasis capitis. Fungistatic and fungicidal activity of saponin SC-2 on
Candida albicans
and other
Candida
species, fluconazole and ketoconazole resistaent strains was demostrated. SC-2-associated ultrastructural alterations in several
Candida species were observed. An exploratory clinical, randomized, double-blind, and controlled ketoconazole study of ketoconazole was conducted with the aim of assessing the effectiveness and tolerability of an herbal medicinal product containing SC-2, on women with
Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). The results exhibited a percentage of therapeutic clinical effectiveness similar to that of ketoconazole (X
2,
p ≥0.30), but obtained a smaller percentage of mycological effectiveness, and 100% tolerability. In conclusion, saponin SC-2 possesses fungicidale and fungistatic activity on
Candida albicans and other multi resistant
Candida species, causes morphological changes and fungal death, and it is an alternative therapy for the treatment of VVC.
