Although fungal infections are increasingly significant causes of morbidity and mortality, modern pharmaceutical therapies have had trouble reducing the rates of infection due to the toxicity of the drugs being used and their drug resistance. Aloe species are used in non-traditional medicine to treat various ailments. Recently there was the discovery of a compound in Aloe cameronii which causes morphologic abberations, swelling extending > 150% of their contiguous hyphal diameter, in hyphae forming fungi, Fusarium oxysporum and Paecilomyces variotii. In light of this our objectives were: 1) To search for antifungal activity among Aloe species, using conidial germination assays followed by light and scanning electron microscopic examination of young hyphae;2) To isolate the antifungal compound, using high performance liquid chromatography;3) To characterize said compound, using both carbon and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance along with infrared and mass spectroscopy.Furthermore, anti-germinative peaks were identified from multiple aloe species including A. cameronii, which reduced germination by > 75% compared to germination frequencies in non-aloe exposed (negative control) populations. It is essential for the germination process and hyphal formation to progress normally to ensure proper invasion of a host. Therefore, our findings suggest that aloe compounds may potentially constrain fungal infection and invasion without being detrimental to the host. Because of candidiasis, fusariosis and paecilomycosis are among the emerging mycoses that present increasingly significant public health challenges around the world, this work suggests that Aloe species may provide compounds to supplement the current arsenal of antifungal agents.

Isolation and characterization of <i>Aloe cameronii</i> compound which causes hyphal aberrations

247th National Meeting (2014)

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Isolation and characterization of Aloe cameronii compound which causes hyphal aberrations