Objective: To determine the phytochemical composition of Byrsonima gardneriana (A. Juss) leaf extract (BGE) and its antifungal activity against Candida spp., antioxidant potential and in vitro cytotoxicity.
Material and methods: BGE was obtained and submitted to Gas Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry for phytochemical analysis. The ethanolic extract was tested for its antifungal activity against C. albicans and non-albicans reference strains and clinical isolates in addition to inhibition of C. albicans growth kinetics. It was also tested for antioxidant potential in the presence of phenylhydrazine and reactive oxygen species (ROS). And cytoxicity in human erythrocytes. The data were analyzed by one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey's or Dunnett's post-hoc test, with α = 0.05.
Results: Pyroglutamic acid (90.77 %), eucalyptol (89.61 %) and octanoic acid (76.22 %) were the major compounds detected in BGE, P (%) is the percent probability of compound identification, according to the mass spectra library. The extract showed fungistatic activity, with MIC of 125 μg/mL against most tested strains. While BGE showed low hemolytic activity on all blood types tested herein, it could not prevent osmotic stress in human erythrocytes. The extract did not have oxidizing effects in the presence of phenylhydrazine, but it showed antioxidant potential against ROS when tested at 31 μg/mL and 62 μg/mL.
Conclusion: B. gardneriana extract showed antifungal activity against Candida spp., demonstrated low hemolytic potential, no oxidant activity in human erythrocytes and antioxidant activity against ROS. This study opens avenues for the study of BGE as a promising biocompatible antifungal agent.
Keywords: Antioxidants; Candida; Phytotherapy; Toxicity.
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