Phenolic composition and antioxidant, anticholinesterase and antibiotic-modulating antifungal activities of Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. (Malvaceae) ethanol extract S.M. Morais a,b , J.T. Calixto-Júnior a,b , L.M. Ribeiro a , H.A. Sousa a , A.A.S. Silva c , F.G. Figueiredo d , E.F.F. Matias d , A.A. Boligon e , M.L. Athayde e , M.F.B. Morais-Braga f , H.D.M. Coutinho f, ⁎ a Laboratório de Produtos Naturais, Universidade Estadual do Ceará – UECE, 60740-000 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil b Rede Nordeste de Biotecnologia – RENORBIO, 60740-000 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil c Doutorado em Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Campus do Pici, Bloco 710, CEP: 60455-900, Brazil d Faculdade Leão Sampaio (FALS), Avenida Dr. Leão Sampaio, Km 3, Lagoa Seca, CEP: 63180-000 Juazeiro do Norte, CE, Brazil e Departamento de Farmácia Industrial, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Prédio 26, Santa Maria, RS CEP: 97105-900, Brazil f Laboratório de Microbiologia e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Regional do Cariri – URCA, CEP: 63105-000 Crato, CE, Brazil abstract article info Article history: Received 4 March 2016 Received in revised form 31 July 2016 Accepted 12 August 2016 Available online xxxx Edited by J. van Staden Tea from the bark and leaves of Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. (Malvaceae) are used in several countries in South and Central America in cases of gastrointestinal and skin problems, among other diseases. The aim of this study was to characterize the chemical composition and its antioxidant, anticholinesterase and antifungal activity to correlate these with the popular use of this plant. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH method and the anticho- linesterase action by inhibiting the acetylcholinesterase enzyme, with an adaptation to thin layer chromatogra- phy. In the antifungal assay, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by the microdilution broth method at concentrations ranging from 1024 to 1 μg/mL, moreover a modulated test on the antibiotic flu- conazole was performed at concentrations from 1024 to 8 μg/mL. Assays were performed in triplicates and plate readings were performed in an ELISA spectrophotometer. The ethanol extract showed antioxidant activity (EC 50 : 119.85 ± 2.42 μg/mL), significant anticholinesterase activity (growth inhibition zone of 1.0 cm, near the physo- stigmine standard), and low antifungal activity was observed against standard strains of Candida. Nevertheless, the extract showed a significant fluconazole modulatory effect, with potentiation of the antifungal action against Candida tropicalis. The chemical study of the ethanol extract from Guazuma ulmifolia leaves revealed the presence of flavonoids and phenolic acids with recognized antioxidant potential. The antioxidant activity combined with anticholinesterase potential corroborates, in part, with the use of G. ulmifolia in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. © 2016 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Anti-Candida activity Acetylcholinesterase DPPH Brazilian plants 1. Introduction Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. (Malvaceae), commonly known as mutamba, has been popularly used as a natural medicine in almost all places where it occurs. Tea from the bark and leaves of mutamba are used in many South and Central America countries in cases of gastroin- testinal problems, kidney disorders, alopecia, cough, fever and skin problems (Ramirez et al., 1988; Caceres et al., 1990; Rutter, 1990). Sev- eral authors have evaluated different activities in mutamba ethanol ex- tracts, among them, its antifungal activity (Caceres et al., 1987; Navarro et al., 1996). Many types of fungi can thrive and multiply on the surface of the body, and the most common fungi which cause skin infections are called Candida. There are many studies which have shown plant extracts with anticandidal action (Höfling et al., 2010) and modulatory activity in as- sociation with antifungal drugs, increasing its activity (Calixto Júnior et al., 2015a). The limited arsenal of synthetic antifungal agents and the emergence of resistant Candida strains have prompted researchers towards the investigation of naturally occurring compounds or their semisynthetic derivatives in order to propose new innovative hit com- pounds or new antifungal combinations endowed with reduced toxicity (Carradori et al., 2016). Falé et al. (2013) reported that leaf infusions of some plants from Portugal may be effective in the treatment of digestive problems due to their content of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and antioxidant com- pounds such as phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid and cynarin) and South African Journal of Botany xxx (2016) xxx–xxx ⁎ Corresponding author at: Universidade Regional do Cariri – URCA, Av. Cel. Antonio Luis, 1161, Pimenta, Crato, CE, Brazil. E-mail address: hdmcoutinho@gmail.com (H.D.M. Coutinho). SAJB-01568; No of Pages 7 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2016.08.003 0254-6299/© 2016 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect South African Journal of Botany journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/sajb Please cite this article as: Morais, S.M., et al., Phenolic composition and antioxidant, anticholinesterase and antibiotic-modulating antifungal activities of Guazuma..., South African Journal of Botany (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2016.08.003