ABSTRACT
Abstract We evaluated the antimicrobial activity of Aspilia latissima - an abundant plant from the Brazilian Pantanal region - against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The crude extracts and fractions showed activity in all tested microorganisms. The chloroform fraction of the leaves and roots showed the most antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, with an MIC of 500 μg/mL. This fraction was submitted to bioautographic assays to characterize the activity of the compounds. Two bands from the leaves (L-A and L-B) and three bands from the roots (R-C, R-D and R-E) were bioactive. Within the root-derived bands, the terpene derivatives stigmasterol, kaurenoic acid and kaura-9(11), 16-dien-18-oic acid were identified. Antibiotic activity of A. latissima is reported for the first time.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry , Anti-Bacterial Agents/drug effects , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Antifungal Agents/chemistry , Antifungal Agents/drug effects , Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Asteraceae/chemistry , Asteraceae/drug effects , Asteraceae/pharmacology , Bacteria/chemistry , Bacteria/drug effects , Bacteria/pharmacology , Brazil/chemistry , Brazil/drug effects , Brazil/pharmacology , Fungi/chemistry , Fungi/drug effects , Fungi/pharmacology , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/chemistry , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/drug effects , Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/pharmacology , Microbial Sensitivity Tests/chemistry , Microbial Sensitivity Tests/drug effects , Microbial Sensitivity Tests/pharmacology , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Plant Extracts/drug effects , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Plant Leaves/chemistry , Plant Leaves/drug effects , Plant Leaves/pharmacology , Plant Roots/chemistry , Plant Roots/drug effects , Plant Roots/pharmacologyABSTRACT
An efficient protocol for organogenesis through leaves has been established for Launaea sarmentosa (Willd.) Sch. Bip. ex Kuntze, a highly valuable medicinal plant. The leaf explants produced microshoots on MS basal medium when fortified with cytokinins and auxins. A combination of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) at 0.5mg/l and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) at 0.2mg/l resulted in the induction of high frequency microshoots in 30 days. The microshoots were successfully subcultured for shoot elongation and eventually for rooting on MS medium supplemented with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) at 0.5mg/l. The regenerated plantlets were hardened under greenhouse conditions and transferred to garden, resulting in a 90% survival rate.