Anti-ulcerogenic activity of the aerial parts of Lithraea molleoides.

The hydro-alcoholic extract of the aerial parts of Lithraea molleoides, given orally at a dose of 1000 mg/kg, showed significant anti-ulcerogenic activity on ulcer induced by indomethacin and absolute alcohol in rats.

Electrophoretic variants of intracellular catalase of different Candida species.

Intracellular and extracellular catalases of different species of Candida were investigated using different culture media. All the Candida strains produced intracellular catalase, whose enzymatic activity was detected by non-denaturating polyacrylamide gradient (4-30%) gel electrophoresis. The cell extracts presented a major 230 kDa catalase band and in some strains variants of catalase with different molecular weights were detected. Candida catalase activity was not affected by heating at 50 degrees C and incubation with beta-mercaptoethanol, but treatment with sodium dodecyl sulphate inhibited or reduced enzymatic activity. Extracellular enzyme activity was not detected in any of the culture filtrate extracts tested.

Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Cordiaverbenacea D.C.

Cordiaverbenacea D.C. (Boraginaceae) is found along the coastal regions of Brazil, from the Amazon basin to the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul. The aerial parts of this plant have been used in folk medicine since colonial times for their anti-rheumatic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and healing properties. The objectives of this study were: the extraction of the essential oil of the aerial parts of this species and quantification of the yield thereof; the identification and quantification of the principal components of the essential oil; and the determination of its antimicrobial activity by plate diffusion method. The yield of essential oil was 0.19% (v/w) in relation to the fresh flowering aerial parts and 0.23% (v/w) of the leaves. The main constituents of the essential oil, identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), were alpha-pinene (29.69%), trans-caryophyllene (25.27%) and aloaromadendrene (9.99%). The Gram-positive bacteria and yeast tested were sensitive to the essential oil of Cordiaverbenacea D.C., but most of the Gram-negative bacteria were resistant.

Biosynthesis of chondroitinase and hyaluronidase by different strains of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis.

The biosynthesis of chondroitinase and hyaluronidase by different isolates of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis was investigated in 20 strains isolated from patients (17 strains), a penguin (Pygocelis adeliae, one strain), an armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus, one strain) and the environment (dog food, one strain). All the P. brasiliensis isolates studied had the ability to produce chondroitinase and hyaluronidase, although differences in colony morphology and enzyme production were detected among them. These results suggest that further investigations should be carried out in the clinical field in order to clarify the potential role of P. brasiliensis enzyme production in the pathogenesis of paracoccidioidomycosis.

Comparative study of in vitro methods used to analyse the activity of propolis extracts with different compositions against species of Candida.

AIMS: Propolis is known for its activity against micro-organisms and different in vitro assays have been used to evaluate this activity, frequently with contradictory results. METHODS AND RESULTS: Brazilian propolis from the state of São Paulo was extracted by maceration using different concentrations of ethanol and water. The resultant extracts were analysed by chromatographic methods. Several microbiological methods were compared to determine which one best evaluated the activity of the propolis extracts against species of Candida, with average minimal inhibitory concentration values between 6 and 12 mg ml(-1). CONCLUSIONS: Agar dilution in plates showed the clearest results. These were in agreement with the chromatographic analyses, which also identified the active substances. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Although the active substances identified in this sample are typical of Brazilian propolis, their activity against Candida had not been recognized previously, demonstrating the importance of standardizing the correct combination of microbiological and chromatographic analyses.

Antifungal activity of propolis on different species of Candida.

Propolis is a resinous material collected by bees from the buds or other parts of plants. It is known for its biological properties, having antibacterial, antifungal and healing properties. The antifungal activity of propolis was studied in sensitivity tests on 80 strains of Candida yeasts: 20 strains of Candida albicans, 20 strains of Candida tropicalis, 20 strains of Candida krusei and 15 strains of Candida guilliermondii. The yeasts showed a clear antifungal activity with the following order of sensitivity: C. albicans > C. tropicalis > C. krusei > C. guilliermondii. Patients with full dentures who used a hydroalcoholic propolis extract showed a decrease in the number of Candida.

Specific components found in circulating immune complexes (CIC) in paracoccidioidomycosis.

Circulating immune complexes (CIC) from 15 paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) patient sera and from 20 healthy control sera were analysed. After CIC precipitation, solubilization and acid treatment, only a little reactivity to P. brasiliensis antigens was found in the free antibodies from PCM-CIC. This result has suggested that there were antibodies with a high affinity bound to fungus components. Dissociated CIC were fractionated in a column of Sephacryl S300 and the fractions that probably contained antigens were pooled and applied to an affinity column, prepared with mouse anti-gp43 monoclonal antibody. Using ECL-Western blotting assay two polypeptide with apparent mass of 43 and 62 kDa were found.

Studies on hyaluronidase, chondroitin sulphatase, proteinase and phospholipase secreted by Candida species.

We studied the ability of different Candida species to produce, at the same time, hyaluronidase, chondroitin sulphatase, proteinase, and phospholipase to assess whether they could be related to Candida pathogenicity. Only C. albicans was able to produce the four enzymes tested (73%) and was highly virulent to mice. Strains, that lack the capacity to produce one or more of the enzymes assayed, seemed less virulent or avirulent, similarly to the spontaneous hyaluronidase, chondroitin sulphatase, phospholipase and proteinase-deficient C. albicans strain FCF 14, 1 which was non-pathogenic to mice. Among the other Candida species tested, none of them produced the four enzymes simultaneously, being less virulent in intravenously inoculated mice.

Hyaluronidase and chondroitin sulphatase production by different species of Candida.

The production of hyaluronidase and chondroitin sulphatase by Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis, Candida guilliermondii and Candida krusei was investigated using a complex culture medium (Sabouraud glucose agar) and a chemically defined medium. Among the 63 C. albicans isolates tested, 61 (97.8%) were found to be hyaluronidase and chondroitin sulphatase producers; one isolate produced only chondroitin sulphatase and one other was unable to produce either enzyme. The second major hyaluronidase and chondroitin sulphatase producing species was C. tropicalis followed by C. guilliermondii, C. parapsilosis and C. krusei. Among the C. albicans isolates tested no relation between the source of isolation and the amount of hyaluronidase and chondroitin sulphatase produced was found.

The first isolation of human Yersinia enterocolitica in Brazil: case report.

The isolation of Yersinia enterocolitica from humans in Brazil has never been described before. The present report describes the isolation of an Y. enterocolitica isolate from a patient with clinical symptoms resembling appendicitis. The isolate showed typical sensitivity to the drugs and biochemical tests, with the exception of the motility at 22 degrees C, that was negative. The strain agglutinated with antisera 03 and the patient's serum showed an antibody titer of 1:80 against Y. enterocolitica serotype 03.