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Estudio de la actividad antimicrobiana del extracto alcohólico del tubérculo mashua (Tropaeolum tuberosum) en sus diferentes especies

Abstract:

The tubercle Tropaeolum tuberosum (mashua) has been used in ancestral medicine by the Andean populations of South America. The antimicrobial activity in ethanolic extracts of three varieties of the mashua was investigated against strains of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and the fungus Candida albicans. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the modified Kirby Bauer method of diffusion on agar. Two evaluations were performed, the first one with 10 µl volumes of each pink, yellow and black mashua, observing antimicrobial activity against E. coli and limited reactivity with S. aureus only with the black mashua variety. These observations were confirmed in a second assay, applying volumes of 20 and 40 µl containing 4.1 µg and 8.3 µg respectively of dry mashua substance. In conclusion, the ethanolic extract of black mashua presented antimicrobial activity against the bacteria E. coli and S. aureus. No activity was observed against a clinical isolate of C. albicans.