Topical Antiedematogenic Activity of the Essential Oil of Psidium brownianum Mart. (OEPB) in Murine Ear Edema Models.

Psidium brownianum Mart is reported in the literature by antinociceptive and antioxidant activities, indicating that this species' secondary metabolites might be used to control inflammatory processes. The present study aimed to characterize the topical antiedematogenic activity of the essential oil of Psidium brownianum Mart. (OEPB) in ear edema models by different inflammatory agents. Female Swiss mice (25-35 g) and Wistar albino rats (200-300 g) were used throughout tests (n=6/group) on acute or chronic edema models induced by single and multiple topical applications. The OEPB is administered topically pure or at a concentration of 100 or 200 mg/mL. The antiedematogenic mechanism of OEPB was analyzed by administering capsaicin, arachidonic acid, histamine, and phenol at the best effective dose (200 mg/mL). The results showed a significant reduction of edema-induced single (28.87 %) and multiple (50.13 %) applications of croton oil compared to the negative control group. Regarding potential mechanisms of action, OEPB (200 mg/mL) inhibited the development of edema triggered by capsaicin (29.95 %), arachidonic acid (22.66 %), phenol (23.35 %), and histamine (75.46 %), suggesting an interference with the histaminergic pathway. These results indicate that OEPB presents a topical antiedematogenic effect in acute and chronic murine models, possibly interfering with inflammatory pathways triggered by mediators such as histamine.

Pharmacological potential of limonene against opportunistic fungi: Impact on Candida virulence.

The present article aims to evaluate the antifungal and antivirulence effect of the phytoconstituent Limonene against Candida spp. Antifungal assays were performed, where the concentration capable of inhibiting 50 % of fungal growth, the growth inhibition curve, the minimum fungicidal concentration, the evaluation of the modifying effect with fluconazole, the inhibitory effect of the substances on the morphological transition of Candida spp. and the statistical analysis of the results were determined. With this study, it was seen that limonene demonstrated growth inhibition for the strains tested and when associated the natural compound with Fluconazole, there was potentiation of the effect of the drug, since the inhibition of growth by the combination occurred at lower concentrations against all strains tested, when compared to the drug alone, which inhibited growth at the highest concentration. In the test to determine the Minimum Fungicidal Concentration of the products tested alone and in combination, it was found that in the case of Candida strains, growth inhibition by limonene occurred at a concentration of 1024 µg/mL. For Fluconazole, growth impairment ranged from > 1024 µg/mL to 256 µg/mL for the strains. And when combined, limonene potentiated the action of FCZ, making fungal colonization unfeasible at concentrations below 1024 µg/mL. Regarding the morphological transition from yeast to hyphae, limonene was used at concentrations of 1024 µg/mL and 512 µg/mL, and it was found that, for CA and CK, the filaments were reduced in number and size at the highest concentration and against CT, the morphological transition from yeast to hyphae/pseudohyphae was totally inhibited, and if compared to the growth control, limonene was able to reduce fungal growth at concentrations greater than 512 µg/mL. This compound has antimicrobial activity described, due to its ability to interfere in the gene expression of the fungus, the limited therapeutic options and the recent emergence of multidrug-resistant Candida species represent a significant challenge for human medicine and highlight the need for new therapeutic approaches, and in this study a great potential of limonene was revealed in relation to the perspective of increasing the efficiency of commercial drug. This work can bring an important contribution to the scientific database, while emphasizing that in-depth studies and tests on the subject, in order to better investigate its effectiveness and mechanisms by which they exert their effects, are still necessary.

Assessing dental surgeons' understanding of bisphosphonates: Implications for patient health in oral surgery.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the knowledge of dental surgeons concerning the pharmacological effects of bisphosphonates (BP) and their impact on the health of patients undergoing oral surgery treatment. Materials and methods: A quantitative study was conducted with professionals in the Cariri region of Ceará, Brazil. The data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire to interview the dental surgeons who met the inclusion criteria. The data were analyzed by Chi-square and Fischer's Exact tests using the SPSS program version 22.0. Results: The results indicated that most interviewed subjects have no experience with the dental treatment of individuals under treatment with bisphosphonates. When a sample of the medication was presented, a significant number of the participants (65.3%) did not recognize the drug. Among those who recognized it, 66.5% did not know how to treat bisphosphonate-using patients in the clinical routine. However, 95.1% of the professionals who recognized the need to discontinue these drugs admitted contacting the prescriber to establish the best dental conduct. Our results also showed that recently graduated professionals better understood the need to stop BP use before invasive treatment, although they did not know the protocol. Conclusion: In conclusion, a better knowledge of the pharmacological effects of BP is crucial for conducting adequate anamnesis, requesting additional tests, and performing medical monitoring, which has a significant impact on the clinical practice of dental surgeons.

Inhibition of the morphological transition of Candida spp. by riparins I-IV.

Candida spp. is an opportunistic pathogen capable of causing superficial to invasive infections. Morphological transition is one of the main virulence factors of this genus and, therefore, is an important variable to be considered in pharmacological interventions. Riparins I, II, III, and IV are alkamide-type alkaloids extracted from the unripe fruit of Aniba riparia, whose remarkable pharmacological properties were previously demonstrated. This work aimed to evaluate in silico and in vitro the inhibitory effects of Riparins on the morphological transition of Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Candida krusei. Molecular docking was applied to analyze the inhibitory effects of riparins against proteins such as N-acetylglucosamine, CYP-51, and protein kinase A (PKA) using the Ramachandran plot. The ligands were prepared by MarvinSketch and Spartan software version 14.0, and MolDock Score and Rerank Score were used to analyze the affinity of the compounds. In vitro analyses were performed by culturing the strains in humid chambers in the presence of riparins or fluconazole (FCZ). The morphology was observed through optical microscopy, and the size of the hyphae was determined using the ToupView software. In silico analysis demonstrated that all riparins are likely to interact with the molecular targets: GlcNAc (>50%), PKA (>60%), and CYP-51 (>70%). Accordingly, in vitro analysis showed that these compounds significantly inhibited the morphological transition of all Candida strains. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that riparins inhibit Candida morphological transition and, therefore, can be used to overcome the pathogenicity of this genus.

Conhecimento popular e automedicação com plantas medicinais em gestantes de um município do Nordeste brasileiro / Popular knowledge and self-medication with medicinal plants among pregnant women in a Northeastern Brazilian municipality

O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar o conhecimento popular e automedicação com plantas medicinais em gestantes do município de Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brasil. Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória com abordagem quali-quantitativa. As informações foram coletadas por meio de um questionário semiestruturado e um grupo focal de gestantes. Em relação ao conhecimento e uso de plantas de medicinais, afirma-se que as gestantes utilizam plantas medicinais. Na análise dos riscos, todas plantas relatadas apresentavam toxicidade fetal, com exceção da cebola branca. Nota-se que as gestantes utilizam plantas medicinais por influência da cultura familiar. As gestantes acreditam que as plantas medicinais ingeridas na gestação não causam efeitos nocivos por serem de origem natural, o que contribui para a automedicação. Destaca-se a importância do diálogo entre o saber popular e o conhecimento científico na construção de uma educação terapêutica que previna problemas relacionados ao uso de produtos terapêuticos na gestação.

This study aimed to evaluate the popular knowledge and self-medication with medicinal plants among pregnant women in the municipality of Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brazil. This is an exploratory research with a quali-quantitative approach. The information was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and a focus group of pregnant women. Regarding the knowledge and use of medicinal plants, the pregnant women used medicinal plants. In the risk analysis, all plants reported presented fetal toxicity, with the exception of white onion. It can be noticed that pregnant women use medicinal plants because of family culture influence. Pregnant women believe that the medicinal plants ingested during pregnancy do not cause harmful effects because they are of natural origin, which contributes to self-medication. It highlights the importance of dialogue between popular knowledge and scientific knowledge in the construction of therapeutic education that prevents problems related to the use of therapeutic products during pregnancy.