Caracterização do potencial antimicrobiano da goma do cajueiro (Anacardium occidentale).

Abstract

The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale L.), included in the family Anacardiaceae, is a popular tree in South America, having its main endemism found in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, representing to the latter great economic importance, being responsible for the generation of Employment, income and taxes, as a result of industrialized products. Cashew gum can be obtained naturally or by incisions without trunk and branches of the Presentations - such as the yellowish coloring resin and soluble in water. Gums represent one of the most abundant raw materials, are essential, are essential and are amorphous, best sold by higher plants as protection after an aggression. By virtue of these characteristics it have come to have a remarkable significance as a natural product in recent times. In addition to having this vast industrial use, exudate (cashew gum) in the folk medicine also has wide applications, such as anti-inflammatory, wound healing, antiseptic, antidiabetic, acetylcholinesterase and antimicrobial enzyme inhibitor. The objective of the work was to extract and purify the cashew gum for later characterization of its antimicrobial potential. The polysaccharide was obtained by extraction and purification of exudates from the cashew tree stem. The characterization of its antimicrobial potential was made through the observation of its behavior against the strains of microorganisms submitted to analysis, being: bacteria Escherichia coli (Gram-negative); Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and the fungi Candida albicans (yeast) and Aspergillus niger (Filamentous). None of the microorganisms tested the samples showed antimicrobial activity being evidenced by the absence of inhibition halo formation. These results converge to not indicate the cashew gum for the use of the same or its assets as an alternative medicine against microbial infections.