Uso de "Tradescantia spathacea" y "Manilkara zapota" como medicinas tradicionales en México desde los Mayas hasta la actualidad y valoración de sus propiedades antimicrobianas

Abstract

The Mayans are a civilization that has managed to integrate nature along with their socio-cultural development, becoming an important part of their beliefs since the pre-Hispanic period. Since the beginning, the Mayans have used various species of plants for medicinal purposes, among others Tradescantia spathacea and Manilkara zapota, wild native species found in southern Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. The main objective of this work was to know the continued use of these two medicinal plants in the past and current Mayan communities of the state of Campeche (Mexico) and their antimicrobial activity. Through a bibliographic review and semi-structured interviews in three Mayan communities in the state of Campeche, the medicinal use of both plants has been documented from the pre-Hispanic Mayan era to the present. The aqueous and ethanolic extractions of the dried leaves of both plants were used to analyze the antimicrobial activity of these two plant species. The results of this study show that currently M. zapota has an antimicrobial and antipyretic use, in addition to being applied against arthritic problems or for the relief of gastrointestinal problems and abdominal pain of menstrual origin. In relation to Tradescantia spathacea, the results show that this plant is currently used for the treatment of various respiratory conditions, to treat viruses such as Chinkungunya and to heal skin wounds. Antimicrobial properties of the ethanolic extracts of the dry leaves of Manilkara zapota and Tradescantia spathacea have been observed in species of: a) multi-resistant bacteria to antibiotics that have a great impact on human health (Staphylococcus sciuri, Enterococcus gallinarum, Lactococcus lactis, Rothia dentocariosa, Streptococcus sanguinis, S. infantis, Tetragenococcis osmophilus, Streptococcus gordonii, Granulicatella adiacens, Brevibacterium sp and Staphylococcus xylosus); b) bacteria that cause pathologies in domestic animals (Staphylococcus aureus and Mycoplasma agalactiae) and c) soil denitrifying bacteria (Paracoccus denitrificans). In summary, the ethanolic extracts of both plant species may be of interest for the development of drugs to treat infections caused by pathogenic bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics. The aqueous extracts of both plants do not show antimicrobial activity. The results of this work indicate that it is necessary to carry out more specific research to determine the scope of the properties of these two plants and their application in human and domestic animal pharmacology, for the treatment of infections caused by bacteria that are multi-resistant to conventional antibiotics. In addition, preliminary data are provided for the use of these plants as inhibitors of microorganisms involved in the denitrification process.