title: Antibacterial and antifungal activity of extracts and exudates of the Amazonian medicinal tree Himatanthus articulatus (Vahl) Woodson (common name: sucuba).
abstract: Himatanthus articulatus (Vahl) Woodson is a tree found in the northern Amazon savannahs (common name: sucuba) that is used in local Amerindian medicine. Leaf, bark and branch wood methanol extracts, sequentially obtained hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts and latex were evaluated for antifungal and antibacterial activities against American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and local clinical strains using the disc diffusion method. Methanol extracts and latex inhibited Candida albicans, leaf methanol extracts inhibited Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis and bark methanol extracts inhibited B. subtilis. Active extracts inhibited the ATCC and clinical strains. Polar antifungal and antibacterial principles in latex and extracts are thought to be responsible for the inhibition.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Roraima, Boa Vista, RR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Bianca Jorge
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Sequeira
authors.forename: Marcos Jose Salgado
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Vital
authors.forename: Adrian Martin
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pohlit
authors.forename: Isabel Costa
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Pararols
authors.forename: Glaucia Socorro Barros
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Caúper
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D029062:Apocynaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000187:drug effects; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000187:drug effects*; D052978:Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects*; D016937:Gram-Positive Endospore-Forming Rods / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts