Antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of aqueous extracts of Cucurbita pepo L.

Abstract

<p><strong>Introduction</strong>: Cucurbita pepo L. is an herbaceous plant belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. The species is popularly used in different<br />countries for the treatment of diabetes and parasitic diseases. <strong>Objective</strong>: This study evaluated the antimicrobial and antibiofilm<br />potential of aqueous extracts of leaves and seeds of C. pepo. <strong>Methodology</strong>: the extracts were tested in vitro against strains of<br />Streptococcus pyogenes, Candida albicans and Candida krusei. The antimicrobial activity was performed by the microtiter method and<br />the antibiofilm activity by the violet crystal method. <strong>Results</strong>: the results demonstrated that the extracts tested showed antibacterial<br />and antibiofilm actions against S. pyogenes, but it was not possible to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The<br />extracts inhibited the growth of C. albicans and C. krusei with MIC of 0.03 mg/mL. The antibiofilm activity of these species did not<br />present either a dose dependence relationship or a synergistic effect when associated with the antifungal Fluconazole®. <strong>Conclusion</strong>:<br />although there are indications of antimicrobial and inhibitory action in the formation of biofilm, additional studies are necessary to<br />characterize the possible pharmacological effects of the analyzed specie</p>