Identification of Substances Produced by Cercospora brachiata in Absence of Light and Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity

Cercospora brachiata is a phytopathogenic fungus. To know more about the metabolites produced by this fungus, the objective of this work was to identify, isolate and characterize substances present in extracts of the growth broth and mycelium, using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). It was also objective to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the extracts. Among the compounds identified, fatty acids, esters, and steroids can be highlighted. The main compounds identified are 9-hexadecenoic, hexadecenoic, oleic, octadecanoic, lauric, myristic, palmitic, doceno-13-enoic, stearic, linoleic, and nonadecanoic acids present in almost all extracts. For the antibacterial activity, the broth microdilution method was used. The ethyl acetate extract of the mycelium presented inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against the bacterium Actinomyces naeslundii (100 μg mL(−1)) and Streptococcus sanguinis (200 μg mL(−1)). Finally, two steroids were isolated and identified in the hexane extract of mycelium: ergosta-6,22-dien-3β,5α,8α-triol and brassicasterol.