title: Ultraviolet induction of antifungal activity in plants.
abstract: Ultraviolet-C irradiation as a method to induce the production of plant compounds with antifungal properties was investigated in the leaves of 18 plant species. A susceptibility assay to determine the antifungal susceptibility of filamentous fungi was developed based on an agar dilution series in microtiter plates. UV irradiation strongly induced antifungal properties in five species against a clinical Fusarium solani strain that was responsible for an onychomycosis case that was resistant to classic pharmacological treatment. The antifungal properties of three additional plant species were either unaffected or reduced by UV-C irradiation. This study demonstrates that UV-C irradiation is an effective means of modulating the antifungal activity of very diverse plants from a screening perspective.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Station Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil, Nyon, Switzerland. olivier.schumpp@acw.admin.ch
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schumpp
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bruderhofer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monod
authors.forename: J-L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wolfender
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gindro
mesh_terms: D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D060585:Fusariosis / Q000382:microbiology; D005670:Fusarium / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts