Abstract
Plants have been seen as alternatives for researching natural antimicrobials and herbicides. The aim of this work was to evaluate the antibacterial, antifungal, and allelopathic properties of leaves extracts of Myrcia hatschbachii. The crude extract and fractions were obtained by Soxhlet apparatus. Antimicrobial activity was determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) using the broth microdilution method. The ethyl acetate fraction showed activity against Candida albicans (MIC: 62.5 µg/mL), Staphylococcus aureus (MIC: 500 µg/mL), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC: 1000 µg/mL). Allelopathic activity evaluated the influence of crude extract and fractions on the germination and growth of Lactuca sativa. The crude extract and the chloroform fraction inhibited the growth of the radicle, while the hexane fraction inhibited the growth of the hypocotyl and radicle of lettuce seeds in all concentrations (100-1000 μg/mL). The biological potential of the species motivates further study of new antimicrobial and bioherbicidal agents.
Highlights
Plants have been seen as alternatives in the search for potential antimicrobials and natural herbicides
Allelopathy studies the ability of a plant to influence the growth and development of biological and agricultural systems, including positive and negative effects on the germination and development of other plants, through the release of secondary metabolites, especially phenolic compounds, terpenes and alkaloids, which constitute a primary source of potential allelochemicals (Macías et al, 2000; Reigosa et al, 2013)
The search for plants with metabolites of allelopathic action has been explored for the production of bioherbicides as a perspective for sustainable agriculture, since they reduce the environmental impact caused by agrochemicals, besides presenting a lower cost compared to the traditional herbicide (Santiago et al, 2017)
Summary
Plants have been seen as alternatives in the search for potential antimicrobials and natural herbicides. The search for plants with metabolites of allelopathic action has been explored for the production of bioherbicides as a perspective for sustainable agriculture, since they reduce the environmental impact caused by agrochemicals, besides presenting a lower cost compared to the traditional herbicide (Santiago et al, 2017). Plant species are potential sources of new drugs for infectious diseases (Sa et al, 2017). Studies on the antimicrobial properties of natural products have increased in the last decade, as microorganisms have become resistant to various drugs used routinely and this motivates the search in plants for alternative therapies with new agents, and many species are used as antiseptic drugs in folk medicine. The Myrtaceae family stands out, which was extensively researched for its antimicrobial effects (Özçelik et al, 2011; Santana et al, 2018; Santos et al, 2018)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
