Evaluation of antifungal and cytotoxic activity of trans-Chalcone and α-Solanine

Background Dermatophytes are adapted to grow in keratinized tissues such as skin, nail and hair. Trichophyton rubrum is the most frequent cause of dermatophytosis in Brazil and in the world [1]. Despite its incidence there are only a limited number of antifungal drugs available for clinical use and some drugs are highly toxic to humans. In this regard, chalcones and alkaloids are phytochemical products which provide a rich source of chemical diversity for the development of new antifungals. Chalcones inhibit the biosynthesis of the cell wall and activity of fatty acid synthase in yeast [2,3]. The glycoalkaloid a-Solanine purified from potate sprout presents antifungal activity by altering cell membrane integrity and inhibition of sporulation [4]. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and cytotoxicity (by MTT) of trans-Chalcone and a-Solanine toward strain MYA3108 of T.rubrum and the keratinocyte cell line HaCat, in order to evaluate the potential use of these phytochemicals against fungal skin infection.