Assessment of Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties and In Vivo Cytotoxicity of Peruvian Passiflora mollisima

Abstract

The antimicrobial activity of Passiflora mollissima is largely due to its aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, terpenes, alkaloids, ketones, esters, alcohols, and lactones. The objective of this research was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the compounds in the Passiflora mollissima (Tumbo) fruit and leaves included also on cultured strains of the microorganisms Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus sanguinis and Candida albicans. Antimicrobial activity was analyzed by the disk diffusion method and evaluated in terms of their zones of inhibition. The cytotoxic activity of these compounds was determined in a bioassay involving sea urchin eggs (Tetrapygusniger) in which the inhibition percentage of artificially fertilized ovules was equivalent to their cytotoxic activity after 26 hours. This study demonstrated the antimicrobial activity of ethanolic Passiflora mollissima extract against the cultured strains of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, and Streptococcus sanguinis with zones of inhibition after the incubation period. There was no evidence of activity against the pathogenic Candida albicans, which demonstrates a null antifungal capacity of the evaluated extracts. However, cytotoxic activity was found, and the compounds led to the complete inhibition of 100% of sea urchin ovules after 26 hours of exposure. The results of the study serve as a guide. in the industrial use of this natural resource "tumbo" due to the discovery of a potential medicine based on this plant that would be a great development in the field of antimicrobial therapies.