Subcutaneous antifungal screening of Latin American plant extracts against Sporothrix schenckii and Fonsecaea pedrosoi

Isabel Gaitán, Ana Margarita Paz, Susana A. Zacchino, Giselle Tamayo, Alberto Giménez, Roberto Pinzón, Armando Cáceres, Mahabir P. Gupta

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Context: Subcutaneous mycoses are chronic infections caused by slow growing environmental fungi. Latin American plants are used in folk medicine to treat these afflictions. Moreover, the potential of the rich Latin American biodiversity for this purpose has not been fully explored. Objectives: The aim of the study was to screen Latin American plant extracts against two species of subcutaneous fungi: Sporothrix schenckii and Fonsecaea pedrosoi. Materials and methods: One hundred ninety-five organic extracts from 151 Latin American plants were screened against two subcutaneous fungi by the agar dilution method at a concentration of 100 μg/mL, and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of active extracts were determined. Positive (amphothericin B) and negative (50% ethanol) controls were used. Results and discussion: Twenty eight extracts showed activity at ≤ 100 μg/mL. Of these, four extracts from Gnaphalium gaudichaudianum DC (Asteraceae), Plumeria rubra L (Apocynaceae), Tecoma stans (L.) Juss. ex Kunth. (Bignoniaceae), and Trichostigma octandum (L.), H. Walter showed activity against F. pedrosoi at MIC 12.5 μg/mL; and, four extracts from Bourreria huanita (Lex.) Hemsl. (Boraginaceae), Phytolacca bogotensis Kunth (Phytolaccaceae), Monnina xalapensis Kunth (Polygalaceae) and Crataegus pubescens (C. Presl) C. Presl (Rosaceae) against S. schenckii. This is the first report on antifungal activity of the Latin American plants against these two subcutaneous fungi. Conclusion: S. schenkii and F. pedrosoi were inhibited by B. huanita (MIC: 12.5 and 25 μg/mL), G. gaudichaudianum (MIC: 50 and 12.5 μg/mL) and T. triflora (MIC: 25 μg/mL).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)907-919
Number of pages13
JournalPharmaceutical Biology
Volume49
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2011

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the financial support from Organization of American States (OAS grant / AICD/106), Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (Panama), ANPCyT (Argentina), DIGI-USAC (Guatemala), and Ibero-American Program on Science and Technology for Development (CYTED, RIBIOFAR Red 0284). Technical assistance from Nancy del Cid, Ana Beatriz Suarez, Ana Margarita García, Diego Vargas and Alex Espinoza are kindly appreciated. We are indebted to all the taxonomists who participated in this study in identifications of plants studied and to the National authorities of the respective countries for granting collection permissions.

Keywords

  • Bourreria huanita
  • Fonsecaea pedrosoi
  • Gnaphalium gaudichaudianum
  • Sporothix schenkii
  • Terminalia triflora

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