Effect of Ethanolic Extracts from Agave Potatorum Zucc. Leaves in the Mycelial Growth of Pleurotus spp.

Description or the subject. Agave potatorum Zucc. leaves make up the highest proportion of non-valued residue of the agave-mezcal process. Interest in their study lies in the presence of secondary metabolites with potential biological activity. Objectives. To evaluate the effect of a crude (CE) and fractionated extract of Agave leaves on mycelial growth of different strains of the genus Pleurotus. Method: The CE, obtained by maceration of A. potatorum leaves, was fractionated giving rise to ethyl acetate (AcOEt) and aqueous (Aq) fractions, in which a phytochemical screening was assessed. The effect in vitro of the CE and the AcOEt fraction on mycelial growth rate of Pleurotus sp. (12 days at 25 °C) was evaluated, whereas the CE and the Aq fraction were assessed for P. pulmonarius and P. djamor.Results: The CE and the AcOEt fraction at 1 000 ppm increased the mycelium growth rate of Pleurotus sp. by 61 and 36 %, respectively, relative to the control. CE induced greater growth, significantly different from the control at 1 000 ppm, only on P. djamor, while the Aq fraction at 1 000 ppm was not significantly different from the control; and at 5 000 ppm growth in both strains was inhibited. Regardless of the concentration or the fraction assessed, mycelia showed higher density and more aerial growth than the control. Conclusions: The A. potatorum leaf extract contains secondary metabolites capable of accelerating radial growth of Pleurotus strains, which may lead to revaluing the leaves of this Agave.