PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH

Phytother. Res. 22, 705–707 (2008)

Published online 18 March 2008 in Wiley InterScience
ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF PLANTS FROM CERRADO, BRAZIL 705
(www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2397

SHORT COMMUNICATION
Antimicrobial Activity of Some Medicinal
Plants of the Cerrado, Brazil

E. S. Costa1, C. A. Hiruma-Lima2*, E. O. Lima3, G. C. Sucupira3, A. O. Bertolin1,

S. F. Lolis1, F. D. P. Andrade4, W. Vilegas4, and A. R. M. Souza-Brito5
1
Instituto de Biologia e Saúde Pública, Campus de Porto Nacional, Fundação Universidade do Tocantins, Porto Nacional,
Tocantins, Brazil
2
Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rubião Junior, Botucatu, São Paulo,
Brazil
3
Laboratório de Micologia, Departamento de Ciências Farmacêuticas, CCS, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Campus
Universitário I, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
4
Laboratório de Química Orgânica, Instituto de Química, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil
5
Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofísica, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

In order to determine the potential of Cerrado plants as sources of antimicrobial activity, the phyto-
chemical screening of ethanol extracts from Virola surinamensis, Qualea grandiflora, Alchornea castanei-
folia, Hancornia speciosa and Curatella americana traditionally used in folk medicine are reported.
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords: antimicrobial activity; Qualea grandiflora; Alchornea castaneaefolia; Curatella Americana; Virola surinamensis;
Hancornia speciosa.

Tested material. Dried and powdered plants were

PLANTS exhaustively extracted in a percolator with 96% EtOH
for 3 days. The extracts were filtered and solvents
Plants (listed in Table 1) were collected from January removed under reduced pressure using a rotary evapo-
to December 2000, in Porto Nacional, in the state of rator to obtain the dried extract (Wagner et al., 1984).
Tocantins, Brazil. The species were selected on the basis A 10% (w/v) test solution of each extract was prepared
of information supplied by traditional healers from in dimethylsulfoxide. Choramphenicol (30 μg/mL) was
Tocantins, Brazil. All taxonomic identities of the plants used as a positive control for bacteria, ketoconazol
were confirmed by Professor Solange F. Lolis of (50 μg/mL) for fungi, and dimethylsulfoxide as a nega-
Universidade do Tocantins (HTINS), Brazil. Classified tive control.
reference vouchers were deposited at the herbarium of
HTINS Fundação Universidade do Tocantins, Porto Studied activities. The antimicrobial activity was evalu-
Nacional, Tocantins, Brazil. ated by measuring the diameter of the inhibition zone
(McGinnies, 1980; Bauer et al., 1966).
Use in traditional medicine. Their use in traditional
medicine was as previously reported, with the plant parts Used microorganisms. Trichosporon spp. (LM 99),
used (Table 1). Rhodotorula rubra (ICB 36), Candida guilliermondii
(LM 30), C. tropicalis (LM 13), C. albicans (LM 528),
Previously isolated classes of constituents. Flavonoids, Cephalosporium spp. (LM 00), Aspergillus flavus (FCF
phenolics, saponins (El-Azizi et al., 1980) steroids, 26), A. parasituns (NRRL 29999), Penicillium spp. (FCF
terpenoids and tannins (Correa, 1978; Pott and Pott, 281), Microsporum canis (LM 72), M. gypseum (LM 1),
1994) from C. americana were isolated previously. Trichophyton rubrum (LM 118), T. mentagrophytes (LM
Flavonoids, tannins, steroids and triterpenoids (Pott and 16), Escherichia coli (B 4), Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Pott, 1994) were isolated from H. speciosa. C-methyl (B 8), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538) and S.
phenolics and flavones were isolated from Q. grandiflora epidermidis (ATCC 12228) were used. All strains of
(Lopes et al., 1999; Correa et al., 1981). Steroids, lignans, microorganisms were isolated at the Mycology Depart-
flavonoids and polyketide were isolated from V. ment at the Paraíba Federal University, João Pessoa,
surinamensis (Barata et al., 1978; Lopes et al., 1991; PB, Brazil.
Valderrama, 2000).

RESULTS
* Correspondence to: Professor Dr Clélia A. Hiruma-Lima, Departamento
de Fisiologia, cp. 510, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual
Paulista-UNESP, Rubião Junior, s/n, Botucatu, SP, Brazil. The results are reported in Table 2 (antimicrobial
E-mail: [email protected] activity) and Table 3 (phytochemical screening).
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Received
Phytother. 23705–707
Res. 22, February(2008)
2004
Accepted
DOI:2410.1002/ptr
May 2005
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
706 E. S. COSTA ET AL.

Table 1. Folk indication of medicinal plants from the Brazilian Cerrado medicinal plants

Family Voucher specimen

Botanical name – vernacular name (Registration number) Part of plant used Folk indication

Euphorbiaceae TO4527 Whole plant Inflammation and ulcer

Alchornea castaneaefolia (Wild.) A. Juss. – ‘sarã’
Dilleniaceae TO1637 Stem bark Skin diseases and ulcers
Curatella americana Linn. – ‘lixeira’
Apocynaceae TO4064 Stem bark Skin diseases
Hancornia speciosa Gomez – ‘mangaba’
Vochysiaceae TO4158 Stem bark Skin diseases and
Qualea grandiflora Mart. – ‘pau-terra’ inflammatory processes
Myristicaceae
Virola surinamensis (Rol.) Warb. – ‘mucuíba’ TO2781 Stem bark Inflammation and
several types of cancer

Table 2. Antibacterial and antifungal activities of ethanol extracts from A. castaneifolia, C. americana, H. speciosa, Q. grandiflora and
V. surinamensis (5000 μg/mL)

Inhibition-zone diameter (mm)

Bacteria/growth control
of test strains A. castaneaefolia C. americana H. speciosa Q. grandiflora V. surinamensis Choramphenicol

E. coli (Gram−) + – – – – – 10
P. aeruginosa (Gram−) + – – 18 12 12 22
S. aureus (Gram+) + – 8 14 14 10 23
S. epidermidis (Gram +) + 12 – 15 17 10 16

Fungi/growth control A. C. H. Q. V.
of test strains castaneaefolia americana speciosa grandiflora surinamensis Ketoconazol

A. flavus + – – 8 10 8 18
A. parasiticus + – – – – – 18
C. albicans + – – – – – 20
C. guilliermondii + – – 10 – – 18
C. tropicalis + – – – – – 20
Cephalosporium spp. + – – 7 – – 17
M. canis + – – – – – 22
M. gypseum + – – – – – 20
Penicillium spp. + – – – – – 20
R. rubra + – – 15 11 – 15
T. mentagrophytes + – – – – – 20
T. rubrum + – – – – – 18
Trichosporon spp. + – – 14 10 – 17

Numbers indicate the diameters of growth-inhibition zones around the holes (mm). A negative symbol indicates no inhibition.
A zone of inhibition ≤7 mm was considered positive.

Table 3. Phytochemical analyses of the ethanol extracts from medicinal plants of the state of Tocantins, Brazil

Saponins,
triterpenes Phenolic Chlorogenic
Plant species Alkaloids Anthraquinones Flavonoids steroids Tannins compounds Catechin Rutin Isoquercitrin acid

A. castaneaefolia – – ++ + + + + – + –
C. americana – – – + + + + – – –
H. speciosa – – – + +++ + + – – ++
Q. grandiflora – – – + + + + – – –
V. surinamensis – – – – ++ + + – – –

+ presence; – absence.

From these results, it is evident that the Gram-positive

CONCLUSIONS microorganisms were more sensitive to the plant
extracts than the Gram-negative microorganisms. These
Antibacterial screening revealed that of the five exam- findings are in agreement with other research
ined extracts, three (Q. grandiflora, V. surinamensis (McCutcheon et al., 1992; Mitscher et al., 1972). The
and H. speciosa) exhibited significant inhibitory effects. antifungal activities of the species H. speciosa, V.
Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Phytother. Res. 22, 705–707 (2008)
DOI: 10.1002/ptr
 ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF PLANTS FROM CERRADO, BRAZIL 707

surinamensis and Q. grandiflora were significantly phytoconstituents responsible for the antifungal and
effective when compared with those of ketoconazole, antibacterial activities are not yet identified, but may
providing preliminary scientific validation for the be attributable to the presence of high concentrations
traditional medicinal application of these plants as of tannins, mainly in H. speciosa, V. surinamensis and
having antiseptic and antimicrobial properties. The flavonoids present in Qualea species.

REFERENCES

Barata LES, Baker PM, Gottlieb OR, Ruveda EA. 1978. Neolignans Lopes NP, Blumenthal EEA, Cavalheiro AJ, Kato MJ, Yoshida
of Virola surinamensis. Phytochemistry 17: 783–786. M. 1996. Lignans, gamma-lactones and propiophenones of
Bauer AW, Kirby WMM, Sherries JC, Truck M. 1966. Antibiotic Virola surinamensis. Phytochemistry 43: 1089 –1092.
susceptibly testing by a standardized single disk method. Mc Cutcheon AR, Ellis SM, Hancock RWW, Towers GHN. 1992.
Am J Clin Pathol 45: 493–496. Antibiotic screening of medicinal plants of the British
Correa MP. 1978. Dicionario das plantas úteis do Brasil e das Columbian native peoples. J Ethnopharmacol 37: 213–223.
exóticas cultivadas. Imprensa Nacional, Ministério da Mc Ginnies MR. 1980. Laboratory Handbook of Medical Myco-
Agricultura, IBDF, Rio de Janeiro, BR. logy. Academic Press: New York, NY.
Correa DD, Guerra LFB, Gottlieb OR, Maia JGS. 1981. The chem- Mitscher LA, Leu R, Bathala MS, Wu W, Beal JL. 1972. Anti-
istry of Brazilian Vochysiaceae. 2-methyl phenolics from microbial agents from higher-plants. 1. Introduction,
Qualea species. Phytochemistry 20: 305–307. Rationale, and Methodology. Lloydia 35: 157–163.
El-Azizi MM, Ateya AM, Svoboda GH, Schiff PLJr, Slatkin DJ, Pott A, Pott V. 1994. Plantas do Pantanal. Ministério da
Knapp JE. 1980. Chemical constituents of Curatella americana Agricultura, Embrapa: Brazil, BR.
(Dilleniaceae) J Pharm Sciences 69: 360–361. Valderrama JCM. 2000. Distribution of flavonoids in the
Lopes NC, Kato MJ, Yoshida M. 1999. Antifungal constituents Myristicaceae. Phytochemistry 55: 505–511.
from roots of Virolasurinamensis. Phytochemistry 51: 29– Wagner H, Bladt S, Zgainsky EM. 1984. Plant Drug Analysis – A
33. Thin Layer Chromatography Atlas. Springer: Berlin.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Phytother. Res. 22, 705–707 (2008)
DOI: 10.1002/ptr