Screening for antifungal activities of extracts of the brazilian seaweed genus Laurencia (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta)

Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia

Afonso, Felipe A. K.¹  Colepicolo, Pio¹  Fujii, Mutue T.¹  Stein, Erika M.¹  Instituto de Botânica, Brazil¹  Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil¹ 

关键词: Antifungal activities;    Brazilian seaweeds;    Candida;    Cryptococcus;    infectious diseases;    Laurencia;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0102-695X2011005000085

来源: Sociedade Brasileira de Farmacognosia

【 摘 要 】

The resistance of pathogens to commonly used antibiotics has enhanced morbidity and mortality and has triggered the search for new drugs. Several species of the red alga genus Laurencia are very interesting candidates as potential sources of natural products with pharmaceutical activity because they are known to produce a wide range of chemically interesting halogenated secondary metabolites. This is an initial report of the antifungal activities of the secondary metabolites of five species of Laurencia, collected in the state of Espírito Santo, against three strains of pathogenic fungi: Candida albicans (CA), Candida parapsilosis (CP), andCryptococcus neoformans (CN). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the algal extracts were determined by serial dilution method in RPMI 1640 Medium in 96-well plates according to the NCCLS and microbial growth was determined by absorbance at 492nm. A result showing maintenance or reduction of the inoculum was defined as fungistatic, while fungicidal action was no observed growth in the 10 µL fungistatic samples subcultured in Sabouraud Agar. Our results indicate that apolar extracts of Laurencia species possess antifungal properties and encourage continued research to find new drugs for therapy of infectious diseases in these algae.

【 授权许可】

Unknown