Phenological phases and plant tissues of Commiphora leptophloeos influence the antibiofilm activity of Candida spp.

Abstract

Abstract Background The plant metabolites production is affected by environmental and biological factors, especially in semiarid environments. Thus, its phonological phase may be an indicator of its phytochemical composition, although studies with this approach are scarce. The objective of this work was to investigate whether changes in the phonological phase of Commiphora leptophloeos influence its antibiofilm potential of Candida spp. Methods We tested ethanol and hexane extracts from leaves and barks of the plant, in two phonological phases, i.e. with leaves and flowers (harvest 1) and with fruits (harvest 2), were tested against three stains: Candida albicans URM 4387, C. krusei URM 6452 and C. tropicalis URM 4262. The effect of the extracts was evaluated in planktonic cells for determination of the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and the Minimum Fungicidal Concentration using the microdilution technique. We evaluated the extracts effect in biofilm formation and in pre-formed biofilms by colorimetric technique with crystal violet and the cell viability technique with methylene blue. Results All extracts showed inhibitory effect between the concentrations of 2mg/ml and 1mg/ml, as well as fungicidal effect in concentrations equal or higher than 2mg/ml. All the extracts were able to decrease viable cells in the biofilms by more than 50%. There was no synergism between the extracts and Fluconazole. The extracts of the second harvest (fruiting season) showed better results in the activity on the biofilm formation of Candida spp. The extracts of leaf from the first harvest showed higher inhibitory capacity against the pre-formed biofilms, and among the bark extracts, the second harvest was more efficient. The high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that there was a greater amount of Gallic acid in the bark of C. leptophloeos than in the leaves, with no difference between the harvests for this part of the plant. As for the leaves, the amount of Gallic acid found in the second harvest was higher than that quantified in the first harvest. Conclusions The promising capacity of C. leptophloeos extracts against Candida spp. biofilms is perceived. Furthermore, the results imply that the phenological phases are not the only factor to exert influence on the antibiofilm effect; the part of the plant used should also be taken into consideration.