Evaluation of antifungal and antioxidant potential of extracts and fractions obtained from the juice of the Agave sisalana

Abstract

Brazil is left with the greatest biodiversity on the planet, but it presents an immense medicinal flora still unknown, little studied and explored. In this direction, through literature reviews can be observed that, although Brazil is the world's largest producer of sisal, Agave sisalana, the number of science on the juice resulting from the shredding of the leaves of this plant is insignificant. Very little is known about the pharmacological effects of sisal juice, as well as its chemical composition. Given this context, this project aims to develop aqueous extract and alcoholic fractions from sisal juice in order to evaluate the antifungal and antioxidant activities. The antimicrobial evaluation of the aqueous and alcoholic fractions will take place in vitro for the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans and Malassezia pachydermatis, by analyzing the inhibition of their growth. To evaluate the antioxidant activity is employed the free radical DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrilidrazila). It will also be given the concentration of saponins, flavonoids and total phenols in different extracts and fractions. This project is a cooperation between the UNESP and the Secretaria da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação da Bahia. It seeks a scientific-technical and economically viable soluction to the use of sisal juice, that is mostly despised, and sustainable development and social promotion of the sisal producing region, which is among the poorest in the country. (AU)