INHIBITION OF AFLATOXIN PRODUCTION BY POLYMNIA SONCHIFOLIA AND ITS IN VITRO CYTOTOXICITY

INIBIÇÃO DA PRODUÇÃO DE AFLATOXINA POR POLYMNIA SONCHIFOLIA E SUA CITOTOXICIDADE IN VITRO

ABSTRACT

Polymnia sonchifolia is used popularly in the control of diabetes mellitus and also should contain some antifungical and pesticidal compounds. Thus the ethanolic extract (EE) from P. sonchifolia leaves and its hexanic (HE), chloroformic (CL), ethyl acetate (EA) and methanolic (ME) fractions were tested to investigate the inhibitory activity on growth of Aspergillus flavus and on production of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and B2 (AFB2). The cytotoxicity of EE, EA and ME on Vero cells was also performed. Suspensions of A. flavus spores were inoculated into YES medium together with different concentrations of the EE, HE, CL, EA and ME. The aflatoxin B1 and B2 were extracted and analyzed by thin layer chromatography. All the concentrations of EE, EA and ME inhibited the aflatoxin B1 and B2 production and the fungal growth. The HE fraction inhibited the aflatoxin B1 production and the fungal growth at 100µg/mL, and all the concentrations used inhibited the aflatoxin B2 production. The CL fraction did not inhibit the aflatoxin B1 and B2 production and the fungal growth. Polymnia sonchifolia leaves have inhibitory activity in aflatoxin B1 and B2 production and that can be an important step for the development of agents to control aflatoxins production.

KEY WORDS:
Aflatoxin; cytotoxicity; Aspergillus flavus; Polymnia sonchifolia.