Antifungal, antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of non-indigenous medicinal plants naturalised in Malaysia
The evolution of antibiotic resistance in microbes has been an obstacle to antimicrobial therapy. This necessitates the search for new pharmaceuticals from natural resources or synthetic approaches. This study was conducted to evaluate the antifungal, antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of six no...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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Soc Stiinte Farmaceutice Romania
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.um.edu.my/37591/ |
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| Summary: | The evolution of antibiotic resistance in microbes has been an obstacle to antimicrobial therapy. This necessitates the search for new pharmaceuticals from natural resources or synthetic approaches. This study was conducted to evaluate the antifungal, antibacterial and cytotoxic activities of six non-indigenous medicinal plants naturalised in Malaysia. Thirty six extracts from the leaves of Ailanthus triphysa (Dennst.) Alston (Simaroubaceae), Clinacanthus nutans (Burm. f.) Lindau (Acanthaceae), Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino (Cucurbitaceae), Gynura bicolor (Roxb. ex Willd.) DC. (Compositae), Turnera subulata Sm. (Passifloraceae), and the aerial part of Asystasia gangetica (L.) T. Anderson (Acanthaceae) were assessed for antimicrobial activities using a colorimetric broth microdilution method. The toxicity of plants extracts was examined using African monkey kidney epithelial (Vero) cells. The plant extracts showed rather a strong antifungal activity than an antibacterial activity. The four yeasts were more susceptible to the plant extracts than the two filamentous fungi. The ethanol extract of Ailanthus triphysa (Dennst.) Alston resulted in the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (IVIIC), 0.0025 mg/mL, while the ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol and water extracts gave the lowest minimum fungicidal concentration (0.02 mg/mL) against Candida krusei. For antibacterial activity, the lowest MIC value (0.08 mg/mL) was shown by the ethyl acetate extract of Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino against both Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. For cytotoxic activity, unlike other plants, all the extracts of Ailanthus triphysa (Dennst.) Alston and Gynura bicolor (Roxb. ex Willd.) DC. possessed significant toxicity (p < 0.05) towards the Vero cells. The results indicate that the hexane and chloroform extracts of Asystasia gangetica (L.) T. Anderson are non-toxic to mammalian cells, potent and have broad spectrum activity against human fungal pathogens, and thus are potential sources of new antifungal compounds. |
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