Atividade antimicrobiana dos extratos hidroalcoólicode Eugenia uniflora L. (Myrtaceae) e Schinus molle L.(Anacardiaceae)

The indiscriminate use of antimicrobials available in the market today has been contributing to the increase in the quantity of resistant pathogens. In recent years, significant attention has been given to the use of antimicrobial compounds of natural origin. This growing demand for new bioactive compounds stems from the knowledge that some medicinal plants often exhibit antimicrobial activity. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of hydroalcoholic extracts from the leaves of E. uniflora (Surinam cherry) and S. molle (Brazilian pepper tree) against clinically relevant microorganisms. The leaves were collected from adult plants, identified at the Herbarium of the University of Vale do Sapucaí, where a voucher specimen was deposited. The extract was prepared using the maceration technique in 70% ethanol. Antimicrobial activity was assessed using the disc diffusion method according to the Kirby-Bauer methodology. The microorganisms used were reference strains of: Escherichia coli ATCC8739, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC6538, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC9027, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC14028, Candida albicans ATCC90028, Candida glabrata MYA2950, Candida Krusei ATCC6258, Candida parapsilosis ATCC22019, and Candida utilis ATCC9950. The extracts showed antifungal and antibacterial activity against the studied microorganisms. These findings contribute to the potential future use of these plants as antimicrobial agents.