Avaliação farmacognsótica e da atividade antifúngica dos frutos secos de I. verum Hook f. (Schisandracae)

Abstract

Illicium verum Hook f. (Schisandraceae), known as star anise, is a native specie to Asia marketed worldwide. The herbal drug (HD), consisting of dried fruit, is used in folk medicine and the pharmaceutical industry. In its essential oil is the anethole, the major component, to which pharmacological activities are mentioned. Cutaneous mycoses are clinical manifestations caused by a group of fungi called dermatophytes that affect humans and animals. Despite the various therapeutic options, the side effects and the resistance to antifungals are a problem for treatment, thus requiring the search for new antifungal agents. Despite its extensive use in phytotherapy and commercial, there are few studies dealing with pharmacognostic analysis of I. verum, like those of his activity on dermatophytes. Thus, the aim of this work was to make the quality control of dried fruits of I. verum and evaluate the antimycotic capacity of essential oil (IVEO) on dermatophytes. For the method, a sample of star anise was acquired in a herbal shop of the city of Maceió/AL and the quality control of HD was done according to the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia 6th edition (2019), being performed: botanical identification (macro- and microscopy), determination of foreign matter, total ash, yield and Chemical profile of volatiles. Purity tests were performed in triplicate and expressed by mean and standard deviation (M±SD). For antifungal activity, six clinical samples of dermatophytes were taken: Microsporum canis (1), Trichophyton rubrum (1), Trichophyton tonsurans (1), Trichophyton mentagrophytes (3). The search consisted by microdilution in broth, whose concentrations of IVEO were from 10,000 μg/mL to 78.1μg/mL and the results were expressed by the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and from this, that of the Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC). The identity analysis showed that the samples met the macroscopic parameters of the HD. However, microscopy showed morphological differences in fruits that did not mature, indicating in them, absence of specialized structures for oil storage. The foreign matter yield (1.6%±0.32) and total ash (3.0%±0.10) were in accordance with the monograph of the specie. The percentage of the chemical marker anethole was in accordance with the monograph (>99%), however, the volatile yield was below the expected (6.25% w/v). The MIC/MFC for the samples were from 10,000 to 78.1μg/mL (MIC) and 10,000 to 625 ± μg/mL (MFC). The results of this search show that HD met the quality requirements proposed by the pharmacopoeia and ratifies the potential and activity of IVEO in fungi due to anethole.