Antileishmanial activity of Eugenol-rich essential oil from Ocimum gratissimum.

Leishmaniasis is a group of diseases with a large spectrum of clinical manifestations caused by protozoans of the genus Leishmania. Here we demonstrate the leishmanicidal activity of the essential oil of Ocimum gratissimum as well as its main constituent, eugenol. The eugenol-rich essential oil of O.

Screening of antifungal agents using ethanol precipitation and bioautography of medicinal and food plants.

In the search for bioactive compounds, bioautography and ethanol precipitation of macromolecules (proteins, polysaccharides, etc.) of plant aqueous extracts were associated in an antifungal screening. Thus, the supernatants, precipitates (obtained by ethanol precipitation) and aqueous extracts were investigated of medicinal and fruit bearing plants used against skin diseases by the Brazilian population.

A monoclonal antibody to glucosylceramide inhibits the growth of Fonsecaea pedrosoi and enhances the antifungal action of mouse macrophages.

Fungal glucosylceramides (GlcCer) are conserved lipid components in a large variety of pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungal species, but their biological functions are still unclear. Recent studies demonstrate that GlcCer are immunologically active components inducing the production of antifungal antibodies. In this work, a major GlcCer was purified and characterized from mycelial forms of Fonsecaea pedrosoi, the most frequent causative agent of chromoblastomycosis.

Leishmanicidal activity of polyphenolic-rich extract from husk fiber of Cocos nucifera Linn. (Palmae).

The available therapy for leishmaniasis, which affects 2 million people per annum, still causes serious side effects. The polyphenolic-rich extract from the husk fiber of Cocos nucifera Linn. (Palmae) presents antibacterial and antiviral activities, also inhibiting lymphocyte proliferation, as shown by our group in previous works.

Antileishmanial activity of a linalool-rich essential oil from Croton cajucara.

The in vitro leishmanicidal effects of a linalool-rich essential oil from the leaves of Croton cajucara against Leishmania amazonensis were investigated. Morphological changes in L. amazonensis promastigotes treated with 15 ng of essential oil per ml were observed by transmission electron microscopy; leishmanial nuclear and kinetoplast chromatin destruction, followed by cell lysis, was observed within 1 h.