Abstract

FAST SCREENING OF FOUR EXTRACTS OBTAINED FROM AN INTENSE RED PIGMENT IN FUSARIUM SP. AGAINST THREE WHO GLOBAL PRIORITY PATHOGENS

Thales de Mileto Henrique Dourado, Bianca Teixeira de Morais Oliveira, Ulrich Vasconcelos*, Luis Cezar Rodrigues, Bruno Hanrry Melo de Oliveira and Rafael de Almeida Travassos

ABSTRACT

Fungal pigments are secondary metabolites that may exhibit biological activity. This work evaluated the activity of an intense red pigment extracted from Fusarium sp., a contaminant of an in vitro culture of turnip, against strains of Escherichia coli UFPEDA 224, Pseudomonas aeruginosa UFPEDA 416 and Staphylococcus aureus UFPEDA 02. A Crude extract (RE) obtained with ethyl acetate and three fractions partitioned in this order were prepared: F01 (hexane), F02 (chloroform) and F03 (ethyl acetate). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the crude extract/fractions were assessed. All extracts showed strong activity. Fractions F01 and F02 were the most effective, with MIC ranging between 125 and 31.5 μg/mL. Fraction F03 inhibited growth up to 250 μg/mL. Regrowth was detected in the lower concentrations. The screening indicated the potential of the pigment against pathogens of concern.

Keywords: Bioprospecting. Natural pigments. Antimicrobial activity.