Antifungal activity of decoctions of plants used in popular medicine in Argentina.

DAVICINO, ROBERTO; CASALI, YOLANDA; MICALIZZI, BLAS

Merlo (San Luis)

Congreso; XXII Reunión Científica de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo.; 2004

Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo

Many plants display antimicrobial activity. Prevalence of fungal infections, especially in inmunosuppressed patients, and treatment cost justify a search for alternative treatments. This work studied the growth inhibition of several fungi by different plant decoctions (D). The aerial parts, leaves and seeds were dried and powdered and decoctions obtained (5 % p/v). The activity of: Larrea divaricata Cav (jarilla), Ganaphalium gaudichaudianum D.C (marcela), Baccharis trimera Less. (carqueja), Schinus areira L. (aguaribay), Schinus terebenthifolius R (pimienta rosa), Xanthium spinosum L. (cepa caballo), Lippia turbinata Griseb (poleo), Coryza bonariensis L. (yerba carnicera), Thelesperma megapotamicum Spreng (te indio) y Jodina rhombifolia (peje) was evaluated on Aspergillus niger, Penicilium notatum, Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cereviceae. The strains were kept at 4º C in glucose agar Sabouraud medium. C. albicans and S. cereviceae cultures of 24 h and 8-days cultures of A. niger and P. notatum incubated at 28º C were used. The inoculum consited of 106 yeast or conidium/ml. Plates containing 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 150 and 250 mg/ml of each D were inoculated with each microorganism. After a 4-days incubation the MIC was determined. Jarilla y carqueja showed inhibition on S. cereviceae at 100 mg/ml (p £ 0.01). The other extracts showed different inhibition activities on S. cereviceae growth (p £ 0.01). No D caused inhibition of A. niger, P. notatum or C. albicans growth. Our results showed that S. cereviceae was the microorganism more effectively inhibited by the extracts tested.