Anti-fungal effect of Hevea brasiliensis latex C-serum on Aspergillus niger

K.M.A. Daruliza, K.L. Lam, K.L. Yang*, J.T. Priscilla, E. Sunderasan**, M.T. Ong

Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), University Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia); *Centre for Drug Research (CDR), University Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia); **Rubber Research Institute of Malaysia, Malaysian Rubber Board, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

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• Phytomedicine

Objectives: Hevea brasiliensis extract could potentially be employed as a relatively low cost resource for various anti-fungal activities due to the simplicity of latex preparation and the abundance of latex that can be obtained in rubber producing regions. The present study was aimed at examining the species specific anti-fungal property of H. brasilensis latex C-serum against Aspergillus niger.

Results: The results showed that the latex C-serum exerted a specific antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, but not Candida albicans. Low toxicity of the C-serum was demonstrated in Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BSLT) with an LC50 value of 98.4 mg/ml.

Conclusions: Pending further more elaborated investigations, H. brasiliensis latex C-serum, with its species specific anti-fungal and cancer-origin cell line specific anti-proliferation properties, would probably contribute in healthcare in addition to its traditional role in polymer industry.

Corresponding Author: Ming Thong Ong, DSc; e-mail: omt@usm.my (also ong.mt1@gmail.com)