UHPLC-ESI Analysis and Antifungal Activity of Cladodes and Callus Cultures of Cereus hildmannianus

Plant biotechnology has a great potential in providing bioactive compounds with pharmacological applications. Bioactive compounds have been highlighted as an alternative antifungal treatment option due to the limited number of antifungals currently available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity and chemical profile of Cereus hildmannianus K.Schum., Cactaceae, cladodes and callus cultures. The cladodes of wild plants were collected, and the conventional callus was cultivated using agar and Murashige and Skoog medium, while the alternative culture was cultivated using a cotton support covered with filter paper and the same medium (incubated at 32 °C with 16-h photoperiod). Ethanolic extracts were prepared by Soxhlet and chemically characterized by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-QToF-MS/MS). The antifungal activity was evaluated against Candida glabrata , C. parapsilosis , C. tropicalis , and C. albicans by broth microdilution. The UHPLC-ESI-QToF-MS/MS method enabled the putative identification of fifteen proto-alkaloids and alkaloids, with pellotine and mescaline described for the first time in this species. The antifungal activity of each extract was species-dependent; extracts from both the conventional and alternative callus cultures were prominent against C. glabrata (minimal inhibitory concentration of 312 µg/ml), but there was also potential inhibitory activity against other Candida species. Graphical Abstract