Mycotoxigenic fungi can compromise the quality of food, exposing human and animal health at risk. The antifungal activity of eight thiosemicarbazones (1-8) and nine semicarbazones (9-17) was evaluated against Aspergillus flavus, A. nomius, A. ochraceus, A. parasiticus and Fusarium verticillioides. Thiosemicarbazones had MIC values of 125-500 µg/ml. The thiosemicarbazones 1 and 2 exerted fungistatic activity against Aspergillus spp., and thiosemicarbazone 2 exerted fungicidal activity against F. verticillioides. Compound 2 showed an iron chelating effect of 63%. The ergosterol content of A. parasiticus had a decrease of 28 and 71% for the 31.2 and 62.5 µg/ml concentrations of thiosemicarbazone 2 compared to the control. The obtained results of antifungal activity revealed that thiosemicarbazone class was more active when compared to semicarbazone class and, the thiosemicarbazone 2 was the most active compound, specially, against Aspergillus spp.
Aspergillus; Fusarium; mycotoxicology; thiosemicarbazones
