445 Daniela F. Ramos. et al. / International Journal of Phytopharmacology. 5(6), 2014, 445-453. e- ISSN 0975 – 9328 Print ISSN 2229 – 7472 International Journal of Phytopharmacology Journal homepage: www.onlineijp.com ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF BRAZILIAN AMAZON PLANTS EXTRACTS AGAINST SOME SPECIES OF CANDIDA SPP. Katiane Rodrigues 1 , Daniela F. Ramos *1 , Lillian L. Carrion 1 , Lorena M. C. Cursino 2 , Manoel F. Jefreys 2 , Laila S. Pedroza 2 , Maria I. C. Osório 2 , Jaciara L. Oliveira 2 , Jaqueline I. A. Andrade 2 , Carromberth C. Fernandes 2 , Cecília V. Nunez 2 , Pedro E. A. Silva 2 1 Núcleo de Pesquisa em Microbiologia Médica (NUPEMM), Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil. 2 Laboratório de Bioprospecção e Biotecnologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Amazonas, Brazil. ABSTRACT The increase in both opportunistic mycoses and antimicrobial resistance of pathogenic microorganisms has determined the need to develop new chemotherapies agents. Amazon Forest Plants has been used as natural drug by local people in the treatment of various tropical diseases. The objective of the study is to evaluate the antifungal activity of twenty- eight species of plants extracts belonging to twenty botanical families from the Amazon forest. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the one hundred fourteen crude extracts of dichloromethane, methanol and water were evaluated against three Candida species: Candida albicans, Candida glabrata and Candida parapsilosis. Seventy-four extracts showed activity, with minimum inhibitory concentration between 0.06 and 1mg/mL, against the three species evaluated. The results observed in this study, mainly about the families Arecaceae, Apocynaceae, Salicaceae and Urticaceae, showed that these extracts are promising for the development of new drugs that can be used in the treatment against opportunistic fungal infections. Key words: plants, extracts, Amazon forest, mycoses, antifungal activity, Candida spp. INTRODUCTION Medicinal plants have been used in developing countries as alternative medical treatments and extracts and essential oils isolated from plants have been shown biological activity in vitro and in vivo (Hofling et al., 2010; Portillo et al., 2001; Webster et al., 2008). Some countries, like Brazil, have been highlighted due to its great diversity of flora and utilization of medicinal plants in the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections (Ahmad and Beg 2001; Rios and Recio 2005; Svetaz et al. 2010). Brazil is the country with the greatest plant genetic diversity of the world, with more than 55,000 species cataloged of a total estimated of 350,000 to Corresponding Author Daniela F. Ramos Email: daniferamos@gmail.com 550,000. However only 8% of plant species of the Brazilian flora were studied regard its bioactive while only 1,100 species have been assessed in their medicinal properties (Simões et al., 2003). The vast Amazonian biodiversity together with the traditional knowledge of the forest people could represent a potential source for the discovery of new therapeutic agents (Brandao et al., 2008; Duarte et al., 2005; Svetaz et al., 2010). Duarte et al. (2007) have reported that in the last 10 years there has been an increase in the research of natural products active against Candida spp, including approximately 258 plant species, from 94 families. Brazilian medicinal plants have been used as natural medicines by local population due their therapeutic effect in various diseases, including fungal and bacterial infections (Alves et al., 2000; Newman and Cragg, 2012). IJP