Lupeol acetate as a potent antifungal compound against opportunistic human and phytopathogenic mold Macrophominaphaseolina

Antifungal activity of Monotheca buxifolia methanolic extract and its various fractions were assessed against Macrophomina phaseolina, a soil-borne fungal pathogen of more than 500 vegetal species as well as rare and emerging opportunistic human pathogen. Different concentrations of methanolic extract (3.125 to 200 mg mL(−1)) inhibited fungal biomass by 39–45%. Isolated n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions suppressed fungal biomass by 32–52%, 29–50% and 29–35%, respectively. Triterpenes lupeol and lupeol acetate (1, 2) were isolated from n-hexane while betulin, β-sitosterol, β-amyrin, oleanolic acid (3–6) were isolated from chloroform fraction. Vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid, kaempferol and quercetin (7–10) were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction and identified using various spectroscopic techniques namely mass spectroscopy and NMR. Antifungal activity of different concentrations (0.0312 to 2 mg mL(−1)) of the isolated compounds was evaluated and compared with the activity of a broad spectrum fungicide mancozeb. Different concentrations of mencozeb reduced fungal biomass by 83–85%. Among the isolated compounds lupeol acetate (2) was found the highest antifungal against M. phaseolina followed by betulin (3), vanillic acid (7), protocatechuic acid (8), β-amyrin (5) and oleanolic acid (6) resulting in 79–81%, 77–79%, 74–79%, 67–72%, 68–71% and 68–71%, respectively. Rest of the compounds also showed considerable antifungal activity and reduced M. phaseolina biomass by 41–64%.