The essential oil from L. sidoides may be a promising source in the search for new antifungal drugs due to its efficacy and low toxicity.

Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is an early feature of cardiovascular risk and diabetes. Hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia are causative factors. Excessive endothelial mitochondrial superoxide (ROS) production with hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia is a key mechanism. Inositol components of an insulin inositol glycan mediator, D-chiro-inositol (DCI) and 3-O-methyl DCI (pinitol), decrease hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. We tested whether these, myoinositol and dibutyryl DCI (db-DCI), would prevent or reverse ED in diabetic rats and rabbits. Oral inositols reduced hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia with different potencies and prevented ED in rat aortic rings and mesenteric beds. Inositols added in vitro to five diabetic tissues reversed ED. Relaxation by Ach, NO, and electrical field stimulation was potentiated by inositols in vitro in rabbit penile corpus cavernosa. Inositols in vitro restored impaired contraction by the eNOS inhibitor L-NAME and increased NO effectiveness. DCI and db-DCI decreased elevated ROS in endothelial cells in high glucose and db-DCI reduced PKC activation, hexosamine pathway activity, and advanced glycation end products to basal levels. Xanthine͞xanthine oxidase generated superoxide was reduced by superoxide dismutase or inositols, with db-DCI efficacious in a mechanism requiring chelated Fe 3؉ . Histochemical examination of rat aortic rings for protein SNO demonstrated a decrease in diabetic rings with restoration by inositols. In summary, inositols prevented and reversed ED in rat and rabbit vessels, reduced elevated ROS in endothelial cells, potentiated nitrergic or vasculo-myogenic relaxations, and preserved NO signaling. These effects are related to their metabolic actions, direct superoxide scavenging, and enhancing and protecting NO signaling. Of the inositols tested, db-DCI was most effective.I nositol phosphoglycans (IPGs) are potentially important putative intracellular mediators of insulin action (1, 2). Separate classes have been identified (3), one containing D-chiro-inositol (DCI) and galactosamine (4) and a second containing myo-inositol (myo-INS) and glucosamine (1-5). Generated rapidly from lipid and͞or protein precursors in response to insulin, they have insulin-like effects in vitro and in vivo (1, 2, 4, 6, 7). Myo-INS phospho-glycans have been prepared by enzymatic cleavage of protein precursors and chemically synthesized (7-9). They have dose-dependent insulinlike effects on isolated adipocytes, cardiomyocytes, and diaphragms including increased glucose transport (7-9). One DCI containing IPG has been isolated from liver, and its structure has been determined and chemically synthesized (10). It is active in vivo; lowering elevated blood glucose when administered intravenously to diabetic rats (10-12). In vitro, it enhances insulin to stimulate [ 14 C]glucose incorporation into glycogen in H4IIE hepatoma cells (10). It activates pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) phosphatase (10), phosphoprotein phosphatase PP2C directly (13), and PP1 indirectly (4,14). Both PDH and glyco...

Aims:  To find new antifungal agents among essential oils from Brazilian Croton species. Methods and Results:  Plant leaves were steam distilled and the obtained essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. The main constituents were estragole and anethole for Croton zehntneri, methyl‐eugenol and bicyclogermacrene for Croton nepetaefolius and spathulenol and bicyclogermacrene for Croton argyrophylloides. The antifungal activity of essential oils was evaluated against Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis and Microsporum canis by the agar‐well diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by the broth microdilution method. Essential oils of Croton species demonstrated better activity against M. canis. Among the three plants C. argyrophylloides showed the best results, with MIC ranging from 9 to 19 μg ml−1. The acute administration of the essential oil up to 3 g kg−1 by the oral route to mice was devoid of overt toxicity. Conclusions:  The studied essential oils are active in vitro against the dermatophyte M. canis and present relative lack of acute toxicity in vivo. Significance and Impact of the Study:  Because of its antifungal activity and low toxicity, the essential oils of studied Croton species are promising sources for new phytotherapeutic agents to treat dermatophytosis.

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This work reports the chemical composition of the essential oil of Lippia sidoides (EOLS) and evaluation of the topical effect of EOLS and thymol against different irritant agents in vivo. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation, and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis identified the main constituents: thymol (84.9%) and p-cymene (5.33%). The antiinflammatory activity was evaluated using the mouse models of acute ear inflammation induced by croton oil, arachidonic acid, phenol or histamine, and chronic inflammation induced by croton oil. The topical application of EOLS or thymol at a dose of 2 mg/ear significantly reduced (p < 0.001) ear edema induced with arachidonic acid by 45.1% and 47.4% and reduced ear edema induced with phenol by 33.2% (p < 0.05) and 54.7% (p < 0.01) in acute ear edema. However, a proinflammatory effect of EOLS and thymol was evidenced when it was applied for more than 1 day. There were no statistical differences in antiedematogenic activity between EOLS and thymol. In conclusion, the results indicate that thymol is the constituent responsible for the topical antiinflammatory activity of EOLS. Thus, these findings could justify the popular use of L. sidoides by alternative medicine, but chronic use has an inflammatory effect.

The aim of this study was to verify the possible interactions between ethanol extracts of Amburana cearensis A. C. Smith and Anadenanthera macrocarpa (Benth.) Brenan, combined with six antimicrobial drugs against multiresistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli isolated from humans. The antibacterial activity of the extracts was determined using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The microdilution assay was performed to verify the interactions between the natural products and the antibiotics using a subinhibitory concentration. The activity of amikacin associated with the extract of Anadenanthera macrocarpa against EC 27 was enhanced, demonstrating an MIC reduction from 128 to 4 μg/mL. Among the β-lactams, no potentiation on its activity was observed, with exception to the antagonism of the natural products with ampicillin against S. aureus 358.

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