Mimosa tenuiflora's antimicrobial activity on bacteria and fungi from medical importance: an integrative review.

The misuse of antimicrobials has led to the appearance of several multi-resistant pathogens and, as a result, it has been necessary to search for new compounds that are effective against these microorganisms. Faced with this scenario, one of the forms that has been arousing the interest of scholars is the obtaining of antimicrobial compounds from medicinal plants, since, through them, effective compounds are usually obtained against pathogens and with low toxicity to humans and animals. In Brazilian Caatinga, there are several medicinal plants with antimicrobial properties, and one of them is Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir., also known as Jurema Preta, popularly used to treat comorbidities that affect mainly the skin. In view of this, to investigate its antimicrobial potential, a bibliographical survey of experimental articles, published in the last 10 years, which analyzed the antimicrobial activity of M. tenuiflora in bacteria and fungi of importance, was made. Thus, it was possible to observe that the extracts obtained from M. tenuiflora showed in vitro antimicrobial activity. In addition, the compounds flavonoids and tannins are likely to be the main responsible for Mimosa tenuiflora's antimicrobial activity. Thus, M. tenuiflora presents a high study potential in microbial growth control.