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In vitro antimycotic activity of some plant extracts towards yeast and yeast-like strains.

Turchetti B, Pinelli P, Buzzini P, Romani A, Heimler D, Franconi F, Martini A

Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale e Biotecnologie Agroambientali, Sezione di Microbiologia Applicata, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno, I-06100 Perugia, Italy.

As part of screening aimed at the selection of novel antimycotic compounds of vegetable origin, leaf extracts of Camellia sinensis L., Cupressus sempervirens L. and Pistacia lentiscus L. and the seed extract of Glycine soja Sieb. et Zucc. were tested against yeast and yeast-like species implicated in human mycoses. Of the extracts only those of C. sinensis (obtained from a commercial preparation of green tea) exhibited broad activity towards Candida glabrata, Clavispora lusitatiae, Cryptococcus laurentii, Filobasidiella neoformans, Issatchenkia orientalis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Prototheca wickerhamii strains. MICs ranging from 300 to 4800 microg extract/mL (corresponding to 130-2010 microg/mL total polyphenols) were observed. Concentrations of the C. sinensis extract over 25 000 microg/mL caused a rapid decrease of viable cells of Fil. neoformans and its activity was dose-dependent. Tests carried out using the pure polyphenols present in C. sinensis extract composition, showed that only epicatechin-3-O-gallate (ECG) and epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) possess antimycotic activity.

Published 5 April 2005 in Phytother Res, 19(1): 44-9.
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