Development and validation of a microbiological assay for determination of chlorhexidine digluconate in aqueous solution

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Atividade antimicrobiana de Mentha piperita L. sobre leveduras do gênero Candida

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Avaliação histológica e microbiológica de curativos de demora à base de hidróxido de cálcio usados em endodontia

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Análise químico-farmacêutica de preparações injetáveis de celftriaxona sódica

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Análise químico-farmacêutica e estudo de estabilidade de cefuroxima sódica injetável

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estudo da atividade antimicrobiana de algumas árvores medicinais nativas com potencial de conservação/recuperação de florestas tropicais

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Microbiological Assay for the Determination of Colistin Sulphate

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Efeito antimicrobiano e citotóxico do óleo essencial de Cymbopogon citratus sobre células odontoblastóides

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial and cytotoxic effect of essential oil (EO) of lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus). From the agar diffusion method, different concentrations of EO (0.135%, 0.2% and 1%), and control solutions (chlorhexidine (Chx), distilled water (Ad) and cereal alcohol (Ac)) were applied on cultures of Candida albicans (C.a), Streptococcus mutans (S.m), Streptococcus sobrinus (S.sob) and Lactobacillus acidophilus (L.a). For C.a, S.m and S.sob, the largest inhibition zones in descending order were: Chx, Ac and EO 1%, while the latter two were statistically similar (Mann-Whitney, p> 0.05). For L.a, the largest inhibition halo was observed for the Chx, followed by EO at 1%, 0.2%, 0.135% and Ac. For evaluation of cytotoxicity, the following groups were set: G1: 0,1% EO; G2: pure EO; G3 (positive control): H2 O2 ; G4: cereal alcohol; and G5 (negative control): culture medium – DMEM. The solutions were applied on the cultured MDPC-23 cells, which were plated (30,000 cells/cm2 ) in wells of 24 well-dishes. Cell metabolism was evaluated by MTT assay. Considering G5 (negative control) as 100% of cell metabolism, it was observed for G1, G2, G3 and G4 a percentage reduction in cell metabolism of 29.6%, 82%, 81.2% and 33.4%, respectively. It was concluded that the low concentration of 0,1% OE (C. citratus) was able to inhibit the growth of the strains tested as well as caused mild cytotoxicity to the cultured MDPC-23 cells.

Comparative study of disk diffusion and microdilution methods for evaluation of antifungal activity of natural compounds against medical yeasts Candida spp and Cryptococcus sp

Antifungal activity of natural products has been tested by adapting methods designed for synthetic drugs. In this study, two methods for the determination of antifungal activity of natural products, agar diffusion and broth microdilution, the CLSI reference methods for synthetic drugs, are compared and discussed. The microdilution method was more sensitive. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of crude extracts, fractions and pure substances from different species of the plant families Piperaceae, Rubiaceae, Clusiaceae, Fabaceae and Lauraceae, from the Biota project, were determined. Antifungal activities against Candida albicans, C.krusei, C.parapsilosis and Cryptococcus neoformans were produced by several samples.

Microbiological assay for gatifloxacin in pharmaceutical formulations

A simple, sensitive and specific agar diffusion bioassay for the antibacterial gatifloxacin was developed using a strain of Bacillus subtilis ATCC 9372 as the test organism. Gatifloxacin could be measured in tablets and raw material at concentration ranging 4-16 mu g ml(-1). The calibration graph for gatifloxacin was linear from 4.0 to 16.0 mu g ml(-1). A prospective validation of the method demonstrated that the method was linear (r(2) = 0.9993), precise (R.S.D. = 1.14%) and accurate. The results confirmed its precision and did not differ significantly from others methods described in the literature. The validated method yielded good results in terms of the range, linearity, precision, accuracy, specificity and recovery. We concluded that the microbiological assay is satisfactory for in vitro quantification of the antibacterial activity of gatifloxacin. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Oxacillin Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from the University Hospital of Botucatu Medical School in Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Bioinformatical and in vitro approaches to essential oil-induced matrix metalloproteinase inhibition

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Anti-coagulase-negative Staphylococcus activity of ethanolic extracts of propolis from two Brazilian regions and synergism with antimicrobial drugs by the E-test method

Propolis is a natural resinous substance collected by bees from vegetal sources and its therapeutic properties have been investigated. In this work, we evaluated the inhibitory activity of ethanolic extracts of propolis (EEP) from the Southeast and South of Brazil on coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) growth as well as the EEP in vitro synergism with antimicrobial drugs by using the diffusion method (E-test). The EEP chemical characteristics (dry weight, pH, flavonoid and phenolic compounds) were determined. Seven drugs were tested, and synergism was observed between three drugs and Southeast EEP, six drugs and South EEP, and one drug and ethanol control. Ethanolic extracts of propolis from the South of Brazil presented the greatest flavonoid content and synergism rate, while EEP from the Southeast presented the greatest anti-CNS activity and phenolic compound content. Results showed the correlation among anti-CNS activity, synergism rate and chemical characteristics of propolis.

Chemical and Antidiarrheal Studies of Plinia cauliflora

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Evaluation of the in vitro activity of cefepime compared to other broad-spectrum cephalosporins against clinical isolates from eighteen Brazilian hospitals by using the Etest

The in vitro activity of cefepime was compared to that of ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, and cefotaxime in a multicenter study involving 10 clinical microbiology laboratories and clinical isolates from 18 Brazilian hospitals from 7 cities (4 states). A total of 982 isolates consecutively collected between December 1995 and March 1996 were susceptibility tested by using Etest and following the NCCLS procedures for agar diffusion tests. The cefepime spectrum was broader than that of the other broad-spectrum cephalosporins against both Gram-negative rods and Gram-positive cocci. Cefepime tons particularly move active against Enterobacter sp. (MIC90, 2 mu g/ml), Serratia sp. (MIC90, 2 mu g/ml) and oxacillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MIC90, 3 mu g/ml). Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, cefepime (MIC90 16 mu g/ml) was slightly more active than ceftazidime (MIC90 32 mu g/ml) and 8- to 16-fold more active than ceftriaxone or cefotaxime (MIC90 >256 mu g/ml). Our results show that nosocomial bacteria, especially Gram-negative rods, have a high rate of cephalosporin resistance in Brazil. However, part of these resistant bacteria remains susceptible to cefepime. The Etest was shown to be an excellent method for multicenter studies of the in vitro evaluation of new antimicrobial agents. (C) 1997 Elsevier B.V.