Screening antifungal activities of selected medicinal plants

Plants synthesise a vast array of secondary metabolites that are gaining im portance for their biotechnological applications. The antifungal activity o f the ethanolic extracts of ten Argentinean plants used in native medicine is reported. Antifungal assays included radial growth inhibition, disk and well diffusion assays and growth inhibition by broth dilution tests. The ch osen test fungi were yeasts, microfungi and wood-rot causing Basidiomycetes . Extracts of Larrea divaricata, Zuccagnia punctata and Larrea cuneifolia d isplayed remarkable activity in the assays against the majority of the test fungi. In addition to the former plants, Prosopanche americana also inhibi ted yeast growth. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserve d.