In vitro antimicrobial activity of methanolic extracts from cutaneous secretions of Amazonian amphibians against phytopathogens of agricultural interest

The biochemical defense mechanisms of amphibians involve cutaneous secretions of bioactive molecules with antimicrobial activity. This study evaluated the in vitro activity of methanolic extracts from cutaneous secretions of two amphibian species of the Bufonidae family, Rhaebo guttatus and Rhinella marina, in the control of the phytopathogens Fusarium udum, Fusarium solani, Colletotrichum truncatum, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizoctonia solani, Macrophomina phaseolina, and Calonectria pseudometrosideri. The R. guttatus extract decreased the mycelial growth of F. udum, F. solani, A. flavus, and M. phaseolina at some tested concentrations. The R. marina extract decreased the mycelial growth of C. truncatum at the concentration of 0.5 mg mL(-1), and inhibited the mycelial growth of A. flavus at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.5 mg mL(-1), which was similar to the inhibition by the positive control. The R. marina extract also decreased the microsclerotia production by R. solani at concentrations of 0.2 and 0.3 mg mL(-1). In addition, the extracts inhibited conidial sporulation and germination at varying degrees. The inhibition of appressoria formation in C. truncatum by the R. guttatus and R. marina extracts was 85-99% and 63-100%, respectively. Our results demonstrated that treatment with extracts from R. guttatus and R. marina cutaneous secretions showed antifungal activity against the studied phytopathogens.

Automated summary

The methanolic extracts from the cutaneous secretions of two amphibian species, Rhaebo guttatus and Rhinella marina, showed antifungal activity against various phytopathogens. The extracts inhibited the mycelial growth, conidial sporulation, germination, and appressoria formation of the fungi to different extents, demonstrating their potential as natural antifungal agents.