Growth inhibition of phytopathogenic fungi by chlorogenic acid

JACOBI S .; DEL RIO M ; REGENTE M; DE LA CANAL L

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LI Congreso de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica; 2015

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica

Chlorogenic acid (CGA), recognized as a strong antioxidant, is a plant secondary metabolite which is the ester ofcaffeic acid and quinic acid. It is synthesized trough the phenylpropanoid pathway and accumulates in diverse planttissues. CGA is the major phenolic compound present in sunflower seeds, although its function is currently unknown.It has been suggested that, as other secondary metabolites, it could act as a phytoanticipin being part of the plant´sdefensive arsenal. The aim of this work was to determine whether CGA could control the growth of the pathogenicBIOCELL 39 (Suppl. 2) 2015fungi Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Fusarium solani, gaining insight into its mechanism of action. Microscopicanalysis showed a dose-response effect of CGA on mycelial growth inhibition and spore germination for both fungi.15 μg/μl CGA completely abolished spore germination and caused cell death. Early membrane permeabilization wasobserved in treated spores, revealed by the uptake of probes indicative of altered membrane integrity. Lowerconcentrations of CGA (2-10 μg/μl) do not abolished spore germination but produced a partial inhibition of mycelialgrowth and severe changes in hyphal morphology.