title: Antifungal constituents of northern prickly ash, Zanthoxylum americanum mill.
abstract: Leaf, fruit, stem, bark and root of Zanthoxylum americanum were investigated for antifungal activity with 11 strains of fungi representing diverse opportunistic and systemic pathogens, including Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus. All extracts demonstrated a broad spectrum of antifungal activity and inhibited at least eight fungal species in a disk diffusion assay (600 microg/disk). Antifungal activity was light-dependent, with fruit and leaf extracts most active in general. The presence of light-mediated compounds, such as psoralen, 8-methoxypsoralen and imperatorin in extracts of different organs was confirmed by RP-HPLC. A high furanocoumarin content was detected in fruit and leaf and low furanocoumarin levels were found in bark and wood. A high positive correlation was observed between total furanocoumarin content and fungal inhibition zones (r2=0.902, p<0.001). The results provide a phytochemical basis for the very widespread use of Z. americanum in indigenous North American ethnomedical tradition for conditions that may be related to fungal infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont., Canada K1N 6N5.
authors.forename: N F A
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Bafi-Yeboa
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Arnason
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001232:Aspergillus fumigatus / Q000187:drug effects; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000187:drug effects; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D003904:Mitosporic Fungi / Q000187:drug effects*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D024301:Plant Bark; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018515:Plant Leaves; D018517:Plant Roots; D018547:Plant Stems; D032106:Zanthoxylum
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts