Antifungal Activity of the Sesquiterpene Lactones from <i>Psephellus bellus</i>
Joanna Nawrot,
Zygmunt Adamski,
Beata Kamińska-Kolat,
Honorata Kubisiak-Rzepczyk,
Anna Kroma,
Gerard Nowak,
Justyna Gornowicz-Porowska
Affiliations
Joanna Nawrot
Department and Division of Practical Cosmetology and Skin Diseases Prophylaxis, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Mazowiecka 33, 60-623 Poznan, Poland
Zygmunt Adamski
Department of Dermatology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-356 Poznan, Poland
Beata Kamińska-Kolat
Department and Division of Practical Cosmetology and Skin Diseases Prophylaxis, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Mazowiecka 33, 60-623 Poznan, Poland
Honorata Kubisiak-Rzepczyk
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Przybyszewskiego 49, 60-356 Poznan, Poland
Anna Kroma
Department and Division of Practical Cosmetology and Skin Diseases Prophylaxis, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Mazowiecka 33, 60-623 Poznan, Poland
Gerard Nowak
Department and Division of Practical Cosmetology and Skin Diseases Prophylaxis, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Mazowiecka 33, 60-623 Poznan, Poland
Justyna Gornowicz-Porowska
Department and Division of Practical Cosmetology and Skin Diseases Prophylaxis, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Mazowiecka 33, 60-623 Poznan, Poland
Due to increasing resistance of pathogenic fungi to antifungal treatments, new types of drugs are needed. For this purpose, active substances with antifungal properties occurring in natural compounds should be considered. The herb Psephellus bellus shows strong antifungal activity and is characterized by unique guaianolides, which have an ester on C-2. Thus, a specialized method of isolation and testing was applied to assess the pharmacological effects of these guaianolides. After phytochemical analysis (chromatography and spectral methods), selected lipophilic compounds and the herb extract of this species containing 26 sesquiterpene lactones were tested. The antifungal effect of the herbal compounds was determined on clinical strains of fungi Candida, Rhodotorula, Trichophyton, Microsporum, and Scopulariopsis using a diffusion test. The MTT assay was employed to study the cytotoxic effects of the extract against human fibroblasts. Statistical analysis was performed. All analyzed compounds exhibited antifungal activity in cultivations suitable for assessment. Most lipophilic cebellins from Psephellus bellus prevent the growth of most fungal strains.
