Antifungal activity of alkaloids from methanolic extract of Jatropha platyphylla against Aspergillus parasiticus

Secondary metabolites present in plants have shown diverse biological properties, mainly the alkaloid group, which have been investigated for their fungicidal activity, capable of replacing synthetic products. The species of the Jatropha genus have been studied for their wide variety of secondary metabolites with antimicrobial potential, becoming relevant in the search for new control alternatives against fungi with clinical and food importance such as Aspergillus parasiticus, considered as one of the main aflatoxin producer-species. In this work, the presence of alkaloids in Jatropha platyphylla was first identified by high-resolution thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and the inhibitory activity of methanolic extracts and alkaloids was evaluated, at concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/mL, on the radial growth of A. parasiticus. In addition, germination was determined from the IC50 of the treatments. A higher activity of the alkaloids was detected at 2 mg/mL, with 80 % inhibition at 48 h (P<0.05), with an IC50 of 2.7 mg/mL. These results show the alkaloids of the methanolic extract of J. platyphylla leaf as possible alternative treatment to the control of A. parasiticus.