Antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of aqueous extracts of Cucurbita pepo L.

Abstract

Introduction: Cucurbita pepo L. is an herbaceous plant belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. The species is popularly used in different
countries for the treatment of diabetes and parasitic diseases. Objective: This study evaluated the antimicrobial and antibiofilm
potential of aqueous extracts of leaves and seeds of C. pepo. Methodology: the extracts were tested in vitro against strains of
Streptococcus pyogenes, Candida albicans and Candida krusei. The antimicrobial activity was performed by the microtiter method and
the antibiofilm activity by the violet crystal method. Results: the results demonstrated that the extracts tested showed antibacterial
and antibiofilm actions against S. pyogenes, but it was not possible to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The
extracts inhibited the growth of C. albicans and C. krusei with MIC of 0.03 mg/mL. The antibiofilm activity of these species did not
present either a dose dependence relationship or a synergistic effect when associated with the antifungal Fluconazole®. Conclusion:
although there are indications of antimicrobial and inhibitory action in the formation of biofilm, additional studies are necessary to
characterize the possible pharmacological effects of the analyzed specie