US EPA

1047442 

Journal Article 

Chemical composition, toxicity and larvicidal and antifungal activities of Persea americana (avocado) seed extracts 

Leite, JJ; Brito, EH; Cordeiro, RA; Brilhante, RS; Sidrim, JJ; Bertini, LM; Morais, SM; Rocha, MF 

2009 

0 

Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical. Revista
ISSN: 0037-8682 

Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical 

42 

2 

110-113 

English 

19448924 

10.1590/s0037-86822009000200003 

WOS:000266134300003 

The present study had the aim of testing the hexane and methanol extracts of avocado seeds, in order to determine their toxicity towards Artemia salina, evaluate their larvicidal activity towards Aedes aegypti and investigate their in vitro antifungal potential against strains of Candida spp, Cryptococcus neoformans and Malassezia pachydermatis through the microdilution technique. In toxicity tests on Artemia salina, the hexane and methanol extracts from avocado seeds showed LC50 values of 2.37 and 24.13 mg mL-1 respectively. Against Aedes aegypti larvae, the LC50 results obtained were 16.7 mg mL-1 for hexane extract and 8.87 mg mL-1 for methanol extract from avocado seeds. The extracts tested were also active against all the yeast strains tested in vitro, with differing results such that the minimum inhibitory concentration of the hexane extract ranged from 0.625 to 1.25mg L-(1), from 0.312 to 0.625 mg mL-1 and from 0.031 to 0.625 mg mL-1, for the strains of Candida spp, Cryptococcus neoformans and Malassezia pachydermatis, respectively. The minimal inhibitory concentration for the methanol extract ranged from 0.125 to 0.625 mg mL-1, from 0.08 to 0.156 mg mL-1 and from 0.312 to 0.625 mg mL-1, for the strains of Candida spp., Cryptococcus neoformans and Malassezia pachydermatis, respectively. 

Aedes aegypti; Artemia salina; Avocado seeds; Yeasts