LC-MS Analysis and Antifungal Activity of Turnera subulata Sm.

Abstract

Fungi of the Candida genus are responsible for invasive candidiasis, which affects people all over the world and has high mortality rates. This is due to their virulence factors, which give them great resistance and pathogenicity. In addition, the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains makes it difficult to treat these infections. In this way, natural products have emerged as an alternative to standard drugs, where plants known for their medicinal properties such as Turnera subulata become attractive to research. The present work aimed to analyze the ethanol extract of Turnera subulata leaves against standard strains of Candida albicans, Candida krusei and Candida tropicalis using broth microdilution techniques. The identification of the compounds in T. subulata leaves by LC-MS revealed the presence of a wide variety of substances such as carboxylic acids and terpenes, with flavonoids and fatty acids being more evident. The antifungal assays showed that the extract was not able to inhibit the growth of the tested strains at concentrations with a clinical relevance. However, at higher concentrations, it was able to inhibit the fungal dimorphism of C. albicans and C. tropicalis. It is possible that the T. subulata extract has potential as an inhibitor of fungal virulence factors without affecting the cell viability. Further research should be carried out in order to assess its inhibitory potential for other fungal virulence factors.

Bioactivity of the Genus Turnera: A Review of the Last 10 Years

“…They found that the extract does not have significant activity since an IC 50 of 7544 µg/mL was obtained for C. albicans, while for Candida krusei it was 16,087.37 µg/mL. Similarly, the extract could only inhibit hyphal formation in C. albicans and Candida tropicalis at high concentrations [102].…”

The Therapeutic Potential of Harpagophytum procumbens and Turnera subulata and Advances in Nutraceutical Delivery Systems in Neurodegenerative Diseases

“…Another relevant biological aspect of the compounds isolated from Turnera subulata is their ability to inhibit and/or eliminate Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi [64][65][66]. This antimicrobial activity of the plant is related to the presence of polyphenols, terpenoids, and essential oils [67].…”