Karanja, or Pongamia pinnata, has been described in Ayurvedic literature to have antimicrobial activity. The antifungal and antibacterial activity of Karanja is attributed to Pongarotene, a rotenoid and karanjin, a flavonol.1 Karanja is prescribed for cutaneous affections and vaginal discharges.2 Methanol extract of karanja has shown moderate inhibition of Candida albicans and significant inhibition of C. tropicalis fungal isolates.1

Pongamia can be used to relieve itching in vagina.3 A study evaluated the antifungal activity of Pongamia pinnata extracts on C. albicans strains. The extracts were shown to have significant anticandidal activity. Pongamia extracts are a potential source of natural antifungal agents.4 In an evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of seed oil of Pongamia pinnata, the oil showed inhibition against the tested fungal and bacterial cultures.5

Pongamia has potential antibacterial properties as well. A study looked into the antibacterial activity of Pongamia pinnata and Neem (Azadirachta indica) seed oil in vitro against 14 bacterial strains. About 57.14% and 21.42% of the pathogens were inhibited at 500 microl/ml; 14.28% and 71.42% at 125 microl/ml; and 28.57% and 7.14% at 250 microl/ml of Karanja and Neem oils, respectively. Pongamia seed oil showed potential bactericidal activity. This activity could be attributed to the inhibition of cell-membrane synthesis in the bacteria.6 Ujwal and colleagues7 evaluated the antimicrobial activity of different extracts of Pongamia pinnata. Extracts of petroleum ether and ethyl acetate from seeds exhibited maximum inhibition zone on Bacillus subtilis while leaf extracts had comparable activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The bark extract of petroleum ether was shown to exhibit a zone of inhibition on Escherichia coli. Rani et al8 found Pongamia to have good bactericidal activity against selected pathogens with the maximum activity manifested on Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Bajpai et al9 found P. pinnata extracts to exhibit potential antibacterial effect against B. Subtilis ATCC6633, S. aureus ATCC6538, Listeria monocytogenes ATCC19118, L. monocytogenes ATCC19166, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC6432 and Salmonella typhimurium ATCC2512. The chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts exhibited significantly higher antibacterial activity as compared to streptomycin.Considering its antifungal and antibacterial activity, Pongamia oil is a potential agent to manage vaginal infections.

References

1. Patil U. Antifungal activity of karanja (Pongamia glabra) on medically important clinical isolates of Candida fungi. IJAAR 2017;III(1):43-47.
2. In: Indian Herbal Remedies: Rational Western Therapy, Ayurvedic and Other Traditional Usage, Botany. Khare CP (ed.). Springer; 2004.
3. Bobade SN, Khyade VB. Detail study on the Properties of Pongamia Pinnata (Karanja) for the Production of Biofuel. Research Journal of Chemical Sciences 2012;2(7):16-20.
4. Buvanaratchagan A, Jayakumar P, Jaikumar S. Pongamia pinnata: a potential topical herbal antifungal agent against Candida albicans. International Journal of Biological and Pharmaceutical Research. 2016;7(2):102-105.
5. Kesari V, Das A, Rangan L. Physico-chemical characterization and antimicrobial activity from seed oil of Pongamia pinnata, a potential biofuel crop. Biomass and Bioenergy 2010;34(1):108-15.
6. Baswa M, Rath CC, Dash SK, Mishra RK. Antibacterial activity of Karanj (Pongamia pinnata) and Neem (Azadirachta indica) seed oil: a preliminary report. Microbios. 2001;105(412):183-9.
7. Ujwal P, Kumar MPMP, Naika HR, Hosetti BB. Antimicrobial activity of different extracts of Pongamia pinnata. Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Science and Biotechnology 2007;1(2):285-7.
8. Rani MS, Dayanand CD, Shetty J, et al. Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Pongamia pinnata linn on Pathogens of Clinical Isolates. American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical Therapeutics. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pradeep_Vegi2/publication/259055352_American_Journal_of_Phytomedicine_and_Clinical_Therapeutics_Evaluation_of_Antibacterial_Activity_of_Pongamia_pinnata_linn_on_Pathogens_of_Clinical_Isolates/links/00b49529dbcae3688d000000.pdf.
9. Bajpai VK, Rahman A, Shukla S, et al. Antibacterial activity of leaf extracts of Pongamia pinnata from India. Pharmaceutical Biology 2009;47(12):1162-7.