The effects of Brazilian propolis on etiological agents of mastitis and the viability of bovine mammary gland explants.

The objective of this study was to evaluate in vitro the antimicrobial activity of Brazilian propolis from Urupema, São Joaquim, and Agua Doce (Santa Catarina State) and green propolis from Minas Gerais State, and the effects of propolis on bovine mammary gland explant viability. The propolis samples differed in flavonoid content and antioxidant activity. Green propolis showed the highest content of flavonoids, followed by the sample from São Joaquim.

Acaricidal activity of Calea serrata (Asteraceae) on Boophilus microplus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus.

Calea serrata (Asteraceae) is an endemic Southern Brazilian plant species used for religious and medicinal purposes. Previous study revealed the presence of chromenes, a class of natural compounds that possess insecticidal properties. This study reports the effect of the hexane extract from the aerial parts of this plant on egg hatchability, egg production and mortality rates of newly hatched larvae of the cattle tick Boophilus microplus.

Antifungal activity of some coumarins obtained from species of Pterocaulon (Asteraceae).

Fractionation of antifungal hexane extracts of the aerial parts of three Pterocaulon spp., Pterocaulon alopecuroides, Pterocaulon balansae and Pterocaulon polystachyum (Asteraceae) from South Brazil traditionally used to treat animal mycoses, afforded the coumarins 5-methoxy-6,7-methylenedioxycoumarin, 7-(2',3'-epoxy-3'-methylbutyloxy)-6-methoxycoumarin, 6,7-methylenedioxycoumarin (ayapin), along with a mixture of 6-hydroxy-7-(3'-methylbutyl-2'-en-oxy)-coumarin (prenyletin) and 6-methoxy-7-(3'-methylbutyl-2'-en-oxy)-coumarin (prenyletin-methyl-ether). Among the different components of the active extracts, only the mixture of prenyletin and prenyletin-methyl-ether isolated from Pterocaulon polystachyum showed activity against Cryptococcus neoformans, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

Ethnoveterinary medicine in the search for antimicrobial agents: antifungal activity of some species of Pterocaulon (Asteraceae).

Based on informal interview, ethnoveterinary information about plants used in the treatment of skin diseases were obtained. Plants from the genus Pterocaulon (Asteraceae) known as "quitoco" are used to treat problems popularly diagnosed as "mycoses", which can have both fungic and bacterial etiology. In order to validate this traditional practice, the crude methanolic extracts and fractions from the aerial parts of three species of Pterocaulon (Pterocaulon alopecuroides (Lam.