Fitoterapia 72 2001.

7375

Short report

Antibacterial activity of Persea cordata stem

barks
S.R. de M. Schlemper, V. Schlemper, D. da Silva,
F. Cordeiro, A.B. Cruz, A.E. Oliveira, V. Cechinel-FilhoU
(NIQFAR) r CCS, Uni ersidade do Vale do
Nucleo
de In estigac
oes

Qumico-Farmaceuticas

Itaja (UNIVALI), 88302-202, Itaja-SC,

Brazil

Received 19 May 2000; accepted in revised form 6 July 2000

Abstract
The antibacterial effects of extracts obtained from Persea cordata stem bark, employed in
Brazil to treat infectious diseases, were studied. The ethyl acetate fraction of the hydroalcoholic extract showed activity against pathogenic bacteria which may justify the popular
use of the plant. 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Persea cordata; Antibacterial activity

Plant. Persea cordata Vell. Mez. Lauraceae . was collected in Bom Retiro, state of
Santa Catarina, Brazil, in October 1995, and identified by Dra. Claudete Nuernberg Agronomy FacultyrCAVrUDESC, Lages, SC.. A voucher specimen n. 045.
was deposited in the herbarium of Centro Agroveterinario,
Lages.

Uses in traditional medicine. The stem bark is employed in rural communities in

Brazil as a remedy to cure infectious processes w1x.
Previously isolated classes of constituents. No report.
U

Corresponding author..
E-mail address: cechinel@mbox1.univali.br V. Cechinel-Filho..
0367-326Xr01r$ - see front matter 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 3 6 7 - 3 2 6 X 0 0 . 0 0 2 5 5 - 0

S.R. de M. Schlemper et al. r Fitoterapia 72 (2001) 7375

74

Tested material. EtOAc EA; yield: 8 g. and n-BuOH BU; 8.7 g. fractions
obtained by partition of the 50% EtOH extract yield: 22 g from 710 g of dried
stem barks.. Phytochemical analysis w2,3x gave positive tests for terpenes EA.,
steroids EA. and phenolics EA and BU..
Studied activity. Antibacterial activity by diffusion method w4x and minimal inhibitory concentration MIC. determination w5x.
Used microorganisms. Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538., S. epidermidis ATCC
14228., Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145., Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579.,
Escherichia coli ITAL E. ESCH 001., obtained from Instituto de Tecnologia de
Alimentos ITAL. in Campinas, SP, Brazil; Streptococcus pyogenes UFSCL 013.,
Shighella dysenteriae and Proteus ulgaris obtained from Centro de Tecnologia de
Alimentos, UFSC CTA., in Florianopolis,
SC, Brazil; Klebsiella pneumoniae ob
tained from Programa Nacional de Controle de Qualidade PNCQ., Rio de
Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Results. Reported in Table 1.
Conclusions. Only the ethyl acetate fraction exhibited antibacterial activity suggesting that the non-polar constituents are the active principles responsible for the
biological action of Persea cordata stem bark. The obtained results provide a
support for its use in traditional medicine.

Table 1
Antibacterial activity of ethyl acetate EA. and n-butanol BUT. fractions of the hydroalcoholic extract
of Persea cordata stem bark a
Bacteria

EA
400 grwell.

BU
400 grwell.

Penicillin
10 grwell.

Gentamicin
10 grwell.

Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus epidermidis
Streptococcus pyogenes
Bacillus cereus
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Escherichia coli
Shigella dysenteriae
Proteus ulgaris

16b
13c
17d
12e
R
R
13
13
R

R
R
R
R
R
R
R
NT
NT

19
21
18
17
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT

NT
NT
NT
NT
19
23
15
16
17

Values inhibition zone; mm. are the mean of three replicates. R, resistant; NT, not tested.
MIC: 3978 grml.
c
MIC: 78156 grml.
d
MIC: 78156 grml,
e
MIC: 156312 grml.
b

S.R. de M. Schlemper et al. r Fitoterapia 72 (2001) 7375

75

Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grants from the ProBICrProPPExrUNIVALI and
CNPq, Brazil. The authors are grateful to Dra. Claudete Nuernberg
CAVrUDESCrLages. for identification of the plant material.

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