Antifungal activity of Carya illinoinensis extracts against Alternaria alternata pathogen and their cytotoxicity effects on HEK-293T cells: HPLC analysis of bioactive compounds

Derivatives of Carya illinoinensis (pecan) are used as dietary supplements and their leaf and nuts-in-shuck extracts are used in the treatment of various pathologies due to their significant composition in phenolic compounds that act as natural antifungal and anticancer agents. This study aimed to evaluate the antifungal activity of acetone extracts (AEs) from leaves (L) and nuts-in-shucks (S) of cultivars (cv.) Wichita (Wic) and Ukulinga (Uku) of South African C. illinoinensis against A. alternata pathogen. The AEs of Wic-L and Uku-L showed higher antifungal efficacy against all tested A. alternata isolates, with inhibition zones ranging from 11 to 39 mm. Acetone crude extracts of cv. Wichita and cv. Ukulinga showed efficacy against the isolates and were significantly different ( p