Bioactive compounds with antifungal activity against pathogens isolated from pregnant woman: Gallesia integrifolia (garlic wood) is a promising treatment for vulvovaginal candidiasis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The leaves, bark, and roots of Gallesia integrifolia are consumed in folk medicine through infusion, decoction, and topical preparation by crushing because of its pharmacological properties in several peripheral system disorders, including microbial infections. The presence of various molecules in different parts of the plant likely confers this species' fungicidal action, but scientific evidence is lacking. Vulvovaginal candidiasis mainly affects women of reproductive age. When left untreated, it can cause pregnancy complications. Currently available antifungals often cause undesirable side effects. New alternative therapeutic strategies based on medicinal plants have been proposed. AIM: To investigate the antifungal activity of G. integrifolia against vulvovaginal candidiasis secretion in pregnant women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Antifungal activity was determined by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), determined by broth microdilution method using Candida spp (NEWP1210), C. albicans (CCCD-CC001), C. tropicalis (CCCD-CC002) standard and clinical isolates from pregnant women with vulvovaginal candidiasis. Nystatin and fluconazole were used as positive controls. The chemical composition of essential oils that were extracted from leaves, flowers, and fruits of G. integrifolia was determined by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Reverse docking was used to suggest a possible target in Candida. Conventional docking was used to identify the most probable compound that inhibits fungal growth. RESULTS: A total of 24 compounds were identified, accounting for ∼99% of volatile constituents in the essential oils. Leaves of G. integrifolia contained 3,5-dithiahexanol-5,5-dioxide (40.93%), flowers contained methionine ethyl ester (46.78%), and fruits contained 2,8-dithianonane (54.01%) as the most abundant compounds. The MICs of essential oils of leaves, flowers, and fruits of G. integrifolia against standard strains of Candida spp, C. albicans, and C. tropicalis ranged from 13.01 to 625.00 µg/mL. The essential oil of flowers more effectively inhibited Candida spp. Essential oils of leaves and flowers were similar to fluconazole against C. albicans. Essential oils of flowers and fruits were similar to fluconazole against C. tropocalis. In Candida yeast species that were isolated from vaginal secretion samples from pregnant patients, the MICs of leaves and flowers ranged from 52.08 to 5000.00 µg/mL. The essential oil of leaves (277.77 µg/mL) was the most active against C. albicans. No significant differences were found between the essential oils of leaves and flowers against C. glabrata. Docking simulations suggested that phytol in leaves and flowers was responsible for the antimicrobial effect. CONCLUSION: The present results suggest the potential therapeutic use of G. integrifolia, especially its leaves and flowers, against Candida and vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Antimicrobial activity of Asteraceae species against bacterial pathogens isolated from postmenopausal women.

PURPOSE: Investigation of the antibacterial action of aqueous extracts of Bidens sulphurea, Bidens pilosa, and Tanacetum vulgare, species of Asteraceae family that are popularly used for the treatment of genito-urinary infection. METHODS: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bacterial concentration (MBC) of the extracts against standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25923), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC29212), Escherichia coli (ATCC25922), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC27853) and against bacteria that were isolated from cultures of vaginal secretions and urine from menopausal women with a diagnosis of recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTI) were determined by broth microdilution. RESULTS: The MIC values of the three extracts against Gram-positive and Gram-negative standard bacterial strains ranged from 7.81 to 125.00 mg ml-1, and the MBC values ranged from 7.81 to 500.00 mg ml-1. However, B. sulphurea was more efficient. In the urine samples, the three extracts inhibited the growth of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp., and the B. pilosa was the most active extract against E. coli compared with the other ones. For the vaginal secretion samples, no significant differences in the inhibition of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus spp. and P. mirabilis were found among the extracts. T. vulgare and B. sulphurea were more effective in inhibiting coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. compared with B. pilosa. E. coli was more susceptible to the B. sulphurea extract compared with the B. pilosa and T. vulgare extracts. CONCLUSION: The present results suggested the potential medicinal use of Asteraceae species, especially B. sulphurea, as therapeutic agents against rUTI-related bacteria.

High frequency equipment promotes antibacterial effects dependent on intensity and exposure time.

BACKGROUND: The indiscriminate use of antibiotics has caused bacteria to develop mechanisms of resistance to antibacterial agents, limiting treatment options. Therefore, there is a great need for alternative methods to control infections, especially those related to skin. One of the alternative methods is the high frequency equipment (HFE), which is used on skin conditions as an analgesic, an anti-inflammatory, and mainly to accelerate cicatricial processes and have a bactericidal effect through the formation of ozone. This research investigated the antibacterial effect of HFE on standard cultures of bacteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dilutions (104 colony forming unit mL-1) were performed for Enterobacter aerogenes and Staphylococcus aureus with 24-hour growth bacteria. Then, 1 µL of each dilution was pipetted into suitable medium and the HFE flashing technique was used at intensities of 6, 8 and 10 mA for 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 seconds. The control group received no treatment. Plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours and then read. RESULTS: The spark at intensity of 6 mA had no bactericidal effect on the E. aerogenes; however, a significant bacterial growth reduction occurred at intensity of 8 mA after 120 and 180 seconds, and at 10 mA, reduction in bacterial growth could already be verified at 30 seconds and total bacterial growth inhibition occurred in 180 seconds. For S. aureus, there was a strong bacterial growth inhibition at all intensities used; however, at 6 mA, absence of bacterium growth after 120 and 180 seconds was observed. By increasing the flashing intensity to 8 and 10 mA, it was observed that the bacterium growth was inhibited after only 30 seconds of irradiation. CONCLUSION: The HFE has time-dependent antibacterial effects against E. aerogenes and S. aureus bacteria that have several resistance mechanisms.