In this work, screening of Lauraceae species for their antifungal activity against Collectotrichum tamarilloi was carried out and the ethanol extract derived from the bark of Endlicheria arenosa was found to be the best candidate. From the ethanolic extract of the bark of E. arenosa, the hexane and chloroform fractions were found to be active, from these five fatty acids were identified and two lactones were isolated. The most active fatty acid was the dodecanoic acid with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 78.0 μM. The butyrolactone 3R,4R-licunolide A, it has not previously reported, and licunolide B show both the lowest MIC (55.3 μM). This is the first report of compounds of natural origin as growth inhibitors of C. tamarilloi.
Keywords: Anthracnose; Lauraceae; butyrolactones; fatty acid.