Activity of Serbian Aronia prunifolia against Prototheca wickerhamii and Prototheca zopfii

ABSTRACT

Background: Beneficial effects of berries have been known from 16th century, but their antimicrobial effects have been explained scientifically only recently. The two most common aronia species are black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa [Michx.] Elliot and red chokeberry, Aronia arbutifolia [L.] Elliot. Purple chokeberry (Aronia prunifolia) is a hybrid of these two species. Protothecosis is a disease caused by achlorophyllous algae Prototheca species. Infections with Prototheca species are more common in veterinary medicine. The purpose of this study was to investigate the activity of Aronia prunifolia berries against Prototheca zopfii (P. zopfii) and Prototheca wickerhamii (P. wickerhamii).Materials, Methods & Results: Purple chokeberry juice was made by squeezing the fruits and evaporated to dryness. Extracts of purple aronia were obtained by maceration with ethanol 80 % (v/v) for 24 h. Prototheca zopfii was obtained from udder of cow with mastitis and Prototheca wickerhamii was isolated from human oral cavity. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were analized using spectrophotometric methods. The chemical composition of the tested substances was determined by a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The examination was conducted by a micro-dilution method according to the guidelines of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Microsoft Excel pro