Search for novel antifungals from 49 indigenous medicinal plants: Foeniculum vulgare and Platycladus orientalis as strong inhibitors of aflatoxin production by Aspergillus parasiticus

Abstract

In a search for novel antifungals from natural sources, essential oils (EOs) and extracts of 49 medicinal plants were studied against an aflatoxin (AF)-producing Aspergillus parasiticus using a microbioassay technique. AF levels were measured in culture broth by high performance liquid chromatography. The EOs were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Based on the results obtained, Achillea millefolium subsp. elborsensis, Ferula gummosa, Mentha spicata, Heracleum pubescens and Thymus fedtschenkoi markedly inhibited A. parasiticus growth by IC 50 values of 35 to 1,815 μg/ml without affecting AF production by the fungus. The EOs of flowers and roots of Foeniculum vulgare significantly inhibited both fungal growth (∼70.0%) and production of AFs B 1 and G 1 (∼99.0%). The ethyl acetate extract of Platycladus orientalis leaves suppressed AFB 1 (∼90.0%) but not fungal growth and AFG 1 production. This work provides evidence for the first time that F. vulgare and P. orientalis are strong inhibitors of aflatoxin biosynthesis in A. parasiticus. The antifungal activities of the bioactive plants introduced in the present study could make an important contribution to explaining the use of these plants as effective antimicrobial candidates to protect foods and feeds from toxigenic fungus growth and subsequent AF contamination.

Chemical Constituents and Toxicity of Essential Oils of Oriental Arborvitae, Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco, against Three Stored-Product Beetles

“…The test revealed increased neonate larval mortality (Papachristos and Stamopoulos, 2002). The oils has also shown antimicrobial and fungitoxic properties (Hassanzadeh et al, 2001;Guleria et al, 2008) and antitumoral, cytotoxic, and antioxidant effects (Kosuge et al, 1985;Emami et al, 2005;Emami et al, 2011a;2011b Extracts of P. orientalis have been shown to possess a range of biological activities, including insecticidal action against larvae of malaria and Japanese encephalitis vector (Sharma et al, 2005), control of Potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) in potato plants (Al-Ani et al, 2010), antioxidant effects (Nizam and Mushfiq, 2007), and antifungal activity (Alinezhad et al, 2011). The molluscicidal activity of extracts and leaf powder of P. orientalis was studied against the snail Lymnaea acuminata (Lamarck) (Singh and Singh, 2009).…”

Aflatoxins: Mechanisms of Inhibition by Antagonistic Plants and Microorganisms

“…These technologies include crop rotation, use of fungicides, and alteration in planting time. The rapid expansion in our knowledge about inhibition of AF biosynthesis by plants and microorganisms has enable us to utilize them as potential AF biocontrol agents (Alinezhad et al, 2011;Holmes et al, 2008;Razzaghi-Abyaneh et al, 2008, 2009. A large number of compounds and extracts from natural sources including plants, bacteria, microalgae, fungi and actinomycetes have now been screened for the ability to inhibit toxigenic fungal growth and/or AF production.…”

Quantitative analysis of antimicrobial activity of Foeniculum vulgare: A review

“…The essential oils extracted from the flowers and the roots significantly inhibited both Aspergillus parasiticus fungal growth and its production of aflatoxin (B1 and G1). The flower and root essential oil inhibited fungal growth by 65% and inhibited the production of aflatoxin (B1 and G1) by 98% (Alinezhad et al 2011 (Zahid et al 2012). In fact, the aqueous extract at a concentration of 1.6 mg/ml was inhibitory to Aspergillus niger, Bacillus subtilis, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Penicillium chrysogenum, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella typhi, (Abd El-Malak et al 2010;Essawi and Srour 2000;Taie et al 2013).…”