Background: Ethnopharmacological relevance.
Jatropha neopauciflora (Pax) is an endemic species of the Tehuacan-
Cuicatlan Valley, Mexico. This species has long been used as a remedy to alleviate illnesses of bacterial, fungal and viral
origin. Aim of the study. Experimentally test the traditional use of
Jatropha neopauciflora in Mexican traditional medicine.
Materials and methods. The methanol extract (MeOH1), of
Jatropha neopauciflora (Euphorbiaceae) was obtained by
maceration. Next, the methanol (MeOH2) and hexane (H) fractions were obtained. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation.
The extract, fractions and essential oil were analyzed by GC-MS. The antimicrobial activity was measured by
the disc diffusion agar and radial inhibition growth methods.
Results: The extract and fractions showed antibacterial activity against eleven strains (five Gram-positive and six Gram-negative)
and a bacteriostatic effect in the survival curves for
Staphylococcus aureus
and
Vibrio cholerae
. The extract and
fractions were also shown to have antifungal activity, particularly against
Trichophyton mentagrophytes
(CF
50 = MeOH1:
1.07 mg/mL, MeOH2: 1.32 mg/mL and H: 1.08 mg/mL). The antioxidant activity of MeOH1 (68.6 µg/mL) was higher than
for MeOH2 (108.1 µg/mL). The main compounds of the essential oil were β-pinene, 1,3,8-
p-menthatriene, ledene,
m-menthane,
linalyl acetate and 3-carene. The main compounds of MeOH1 were β-sitosterol, lupeol and pyrogallol; the main
compounds of MeOH2 were β-sitosterol, spathulenol, coniferyl alcohol and lupeol; and the main compounds of H were β-
sitostenone, γ-sitosterol and stigmasterol.
Conclusions: This study indicates that
Jatropha neopauciflora is a potential antibacterial and antifungal agent.
