J Ethnopharmacol. 2001 Jan; 74(1): 89-96.

Screening antifungal activities of selected medicinal plants.

Quiroga EN, Sampietro AR, Vattuone MA.

CÃ¡tedra de FitoquÃmica, Instituto de Estudios Vegetales 'Dr. Antonio R. Sampietro', Facultad de BioquÃmica, QuÃmica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de TucumÃ¡n, Ayacucho 471, 4000, San Miguel de TucumÃ¡n, Argentina.

Plants synthesise a vast array of secondary metabolites that are gaining importance for their biotechnological applications. The antifungal activity of the ethanolic extracts of ten Argentinean plants used in native medicine is reported. Antifungal assays included radial growth inhibition, disk and well diffusion assays and growth inhibition by broth dilution tests. The chosen test fungi were yeasts, microfungi and wood-rot causing Basidiomycetes. Extracts of Larrea divaricata, Zuccagnia punctata and Larrea cuneifolia displayed remarkable activity in the assays against the majority of the test fungi. In addition to the former plants, Prosopanche americana also inhibited yeast growth.