Antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities of Tetraglochin cristata (Canghy) extracts from the Peruvian Andes

Puma-Ttito F.D.; Martinez-Ytuza L.B.; Cortez-Vega W.R.; Vega J.L.J. · Food Research (2025) · DOI: 10.26656/fr.2017.9(1).234

Resumen

Medicinal plants have gained visibility for their bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties that can be used for various applications such as in the pharmaceutical, food, and biological control industries. Peru is a country rich in flora, and it has a wide variety of plant species, however, the study of bioactive compounds with pharmacological potential is scarce. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to evaluate the antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal activity of the extract of fresh leaves of Tetraglochin cristata known in the Peruvian highlands as Canghy. Canghy samples were collected in the Arequipa and Cusco regions to compare the variability of properties due to environmental and altitude differences. Extracts were tested against two types of bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and two fungi, Candida albicans and Penicillium commune. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using the DPPH method. The results demonstrated high antioxidant activity, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of (92.3±1.3) μg/mL for the Cusco sample and (98.2±1.7) μg/mL for the Arequipa sample. Furthermore, the extracts effectively inhibited P. commune, showing high antifungal activity. This study highlights the pharmacological potential of Canghy bioactive compounds and the importance of geographical diversity in the variability of these properties.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa