ANTIFUNGAL AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF ETHANOLIC AND AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF THE WILD PLANT CONSUELA (<i>Tinantia erecta</i>)

Abstract

Wild edible plant species can be a good source of biologically active compounds. Therefore, the aims of this research were to evaluate the antioxidant activity and quantify the phenolic compounds present in ethanolic (70% v/v) and aqueous extracts of Tinantia erecta, and to evaluate their antifungal activity against phytopathogenic fungi. The total phenol and flavonoid content and the in vitro antioxidant activity of extracts were assessed, and the phenolic compounds were quantified by HPLC. The extracts (250 μg mL–1) from T. erecta were tested for antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum, Phytophthora capsici, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Sclerotium rolfsii, and Rhizoctonia solani. The plant organ with the highest concentration of antioxidant compounds was the leaf, and the most efficient solvent for the extraction of these compounds was 70% ethanol. The phenolic compounds found in high concentrations were phloridzin (97.5 mg g–1), naringenin (19.3 mg g–1), and rutin (14.8 mg g–1). The extract obtained from leaves with 70% ethanol inhibited mycelial growth by 84 to 100%, with F. oxysporum being the least sensitive and R. solani being the most sensitive to the effect of the extract. The maximum percentage inhibition of the aqueous extracts was 15.6% against P. capsici. Extracts from the endemic species T. erecta exhibited good antioxidant activity, primarily due to the presence of phenolic compounds, and showed a great potential to inhibit phytopathogenic microorganisms.