Abstract

The current study evaluates the antifungal activity and cytotoxicity of aqueous and 70% ethanol (EtOH) extracts of the leaves and roots of Jatropha dioica Cerv.. The extracts were obtained from the suspension of 18 g of the aerial (leaves) and root parts of J. dioicaCerv. in 200 ml of 70% EtOH and water for 24 h. Serial dilutions ranging from 14.06 to 450 µg/ml were made from a stock solution of both extracts. Whereas anti-Candida activity of the extracts was evaluated by microdilution test (NCCLS - M27-A), the assessment of the extracts´ cytotoxicity was performed by the survival of 3T3/NIH mouse fibroblasts measured photometrically in a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay after a 24 h exposure. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) were 28.1 µg/mL for the two extracts from the leaves and roots of J. dioica Cerv. against all strains of Candida albicans. In the case of the cytotoxicity test, there was no statistically significant difference in the results found for both extracts obtained either from the leaves or roots of J. dioica Cerv.. However, MIC and MFC of 28.1 µg/ml from the aqueous and ethanol extracts of the J. dioica Cerv. roots demonstrated one of the lowest cytotoxic effects at the concentrations tested. Based on these methodologies, results showed that the aqueous and ethanol extracts of Jatropha dioica Cerv. can be used as a potential antifungal agent with low cytotoxicity.

Key words: Antimicrobials, Cytotoxicity, Fungi, Mycology, Antifungal agents, Medicinal plants, Candida albicans, Candida non-albicans.

Abbreviation

CAC, Chronic atrophic candidiasis; MIC, minimum inhibitory concentration; MFC, minimum fungicidal concentration; DMEM, Dulbecco’s modified eagle’s medium; FBS, fetal bovine serum; MTT, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide