PERUVIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS WITH ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY

DETERMINATION OF ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY AGAINST Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger OF TEN MEDICINAL PLANTS OF THREE PERUVIAN DEPARTMENTS

The present work investigated the antifungal activities in vitro of twelve ethanolic extracts corresponding to ten peruvian medicinal plants; Annona cherimolia Mill. (leaves), Annona muricata L. (bark and leaves), Bidens pilosa L. (aerial parts), Hypericum laricifolium L. (aerial parts), Juglans neotropica Diels (bark), Piper spp. (leaves), Plantago major L. (leaves), Psidium guajava L. (leaves), Schinus molle L. (bark and leaves) and Spartium junceum L. (whole plant). The plants were collected in the department of Amazonas, except Schinus molle L (Apurímac) and Annona muricata L. (Lima). The antifungal activities were determinated by the methods of agar diffusion and agar dilution for the determination of the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). The used microorganisms of test were the yeasts Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and Candida albicans clinical isolate, as well as, the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404; the microorganism were provided by the Chair of Microbiology of Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Of twelve investigated extracts, six presented significant antifungal activity with a diameter of inhibition haloes >18mm (Agar Diffusion) against Candida albicans ATCC 10231. No extract showed significant activity against to Candida albicans clinical isolate and Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404. The MIC of the extracts that presented significant activity against Candida albicans ATCC 10231, were of 250 ug/mL for Hypericum laricifolium L., Juglans neotropica Diels, Psidium guajava L. and Schinus molle (bark and leaf extracts) and of 500 ug/mL for Piper spp. We do not determine the MIC of the extracts (Juglans neotropica Diels and Psidium guajava L.) that presented haloes against Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404 for considering them without significant activity <18mm>