<b>Antifungal activity evaluation of <i>Aloe arborescens</i> dry extract against <i>trichosporon</i> genus yeasts

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the antifungal activity of Aloe arborescens dry extract against Trichosporon genus yeast species. Extraction was carried out by means of a longitudinal incision in fresh leaves, which were collected on a vat, and the total volume was frozen and subsequently lyophilized. Then, 40 mg of the dry extract was dissolved in DMSO by gentle inversion in order to obtain a solution whose concentration was 4000 µg mL-1. This solution became limpid and slightly yellowish because the pigment of the latex was attenuated. It was performed serial dilutions from 2,000 to 15.625 µg mL-1 with RPMI-1640 broth. There was already no pigment in the first dilution of 2000 μg mL-1. It was analyzed fifteen strains of Trichosporon spp., and Candida albicans ATCC 10231 was used as control strain. We carried out the reading of microplates in the ELISA reader device at a wavelength of 530 nm, after incubation for 24 and 48 hours, and it was determinated the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). The MIC50 value obtained for all Trichosporon species and for C. albicans was 500 µg mL-1. As a result, we concluded that Aloe arborescens dry extract has antifungal activity against Trichosporon yeasts.

Keywords

• medicinal plants
• susceptibility test
• opportunistic pathogens