Full Length Research Paper

Antimicrobial activity of Agave sisalana

Jener D. G. Santos¹, Alexsandro Branco¹*, Alice F. Silva², Carla S. R. Pinheiro², Aristóteles Góes Neto², Ana P. T. Uetanabaro³, Sandra R. O. D. Queiroz⁴ and Juan T. A. Osuna⁴

¹Laboratório de Fitoquímica, Departamento de Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana - UEFS, Av. Transnordestina s/n, 44036-900 Feira de Santana, BA, Brasil.

²Laboratório de Pesquisa em Microbiologia (LAPEM), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas – UEFS, Brasil.

³Centro de Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brasil.

⁴Unidade Experimental Horto Florestal - UEHF, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, UEFS, BA, Brasil.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: branco@uefs.br. Fax: +55 75 3224 8010.

Accepted 17 August, 2009

   Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of extracts of the leaves and leaf waste discarded in the process of obtaining the hard fibers of Agave sisalana. The antimicrobial activity was determined by the paper disk diffusion method using Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria (non-resistant and resistant to antibiotics) and a fungus. The hydroalcoholic extract obtained from leaves and from sisal waste showed significant inhibition of Candida albicans, on the other hand, it was inactive against three strains of Staphylococcus aureus, two strains of Escherichia coli, a strain of Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella choleraesuis. The methanol extract of leaves showed weaker reduction in the inhibitory action of C. albicans when compared with the above extracts, and it was also inert against the other microorganisms tested.

Key words: Agave sisalana, antimicrobial activity, Candida albicans.