Previous studies have reported on the glucose and lipid-lowering effects of ferulic acid (FA) but its anti-obesity potential has not yet been firmly established. This study investigated the possible anti-obesitogenic effects of FA in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 15 weeks. To assess the antiobesity potential of FA, 32 male Swiss mice, weighing 20–25 g (n=6–8 per group) were fed a normal diet (ND) or HFD, treated orally or not with either FA (10 mg/kg) or sibutramine (10 mg/kg) for 15 weeks and at the end of this period, the body weights of animals, visceral fat accumulation, plasma levels of glucose and insulin hormone, amylase and lipase activities, the satiety hormones ghrelin and leptin, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCH-1) were analyzed. Results revealed that FA could effectively suppress the HFD-associated increase in visceral fat accumulation, adipocyte size and body weight gain, similar to sibutramine, the positive control. FA also significantly (P<0.05) decreased the HFD-induced elevations in serum lipid profiles, amylase and lipase activities, and the levels of blood glucose and insulin hormone. The markedly elevated leptin and decreased ghrelin levels seen in HFD-fed control mice were significantly (P<0.05) reversed by FA treatment, almost reaching the values seen in ND-fed mice. Furthermore, FA demonstrated significant (P<0.05) inhibition of serum levels of inflammatory mediators TNF-α, and MCH-1. These results suggest that FA could be beneficial in lowering the risk of HFD-induced obesity via modulation of enzymatic, hormonal and inflammatory responses.

Dental caries and periodontal disease are associated with oral pathogens. Several plant derivatives have been evaluated with respect to their antimicrobial effects against such pathogenic microorganisms. Lippia sidoides Cham (Verbenaceae), popularly known as "Alecrim-pimenta" is a typical shrub commonly found in the Northeast of Brazil. Many plant species belonging to the genus Lippia yield very fragrant essential oils of potential economic value which are used by the industry for the commercial production of perfumes, creams, lotions, and deodorants. Since the leaves of L. sidoides are also extensively used in popular medicine for the treatment of skin wounds and cuts, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the composition and antimicrobial activity of L. sidoides essential oil. The essential oil was obtained by hydro-distillation and analyzed by GC-MS. Twelve compounds were characterized, having as major constituents thymol (56.7%) and carvacrol (16.7%). The antimicrobial activity of the oil and the major components was tested against cariogenic bacterial species of the genus Streptococcus as well as Candida albicans using the broth dilution and disk diffusion assays. The essential oil and its major components thymol and carvacrol exhibited potent antimicrobial activity against the organisms tested with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.625 to 10.0 mg/mL. The most sensitive microorganisms were C. albicans and Streptococcus mutans. The essential oil of L. sidoides and its major components exert promising antimicrobial effects against oral pathogens and suggest its likely usefulness to combat oral microbial growth.

O interesse pelos bioensaios frente à larvas de Aedes aegypti e Culex quinquefasciatus deve-se ao fato de que estas espécies estão distribuídas por todo o território nacional, sendo portanto uma atividade realizada por inúmeros pesquisadores do Brasil. Os óleos essenciais de Syzigium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & Perry, Lippia sidoides Cham.,e Hyptis martiusii Benth.,foram testados no combate ao transmissor da dengue e da filariose. As larvas de terceiro estádio foram expostas em triplicatas a diferentes concentrações (1000, 500, 250, 100, 50, 25 e 10 ppm). As análises foram observadas após dez minutos do início do tratamento, e mostraram resultados bastante significativos, com potencialidade de mortalidade de até 100% das larvas testadas, indicando acentuados efeitos tóxicos de alguns constituintes voláteis presentes nos óleos. Para os óleos de S. aromaticum, L. sidoides e H. martiusii foram constatadas, frente à Aedes aegypti, valores respectivos de CL50 de 21,4; 19,5 e 18,5 ppm e frente ao Culex quinquefasciatus, 14,5; 16,6 e 27,5 ppm, respectivamente.

The interest for a biological assay against larvae of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus is due to the fact that these species are distributed by the whole national territory, being therefore an activity carried out by countless researchers of Brazil. The essential oils of Syzigium aromaticum, Hyptis martiusii and Lippia sidoides were tested in the combat of the transmitter of the dengue and of the filariosis, using larvae of third stadium were exposed in triplicate to different concentrations (1000, 500, 250, 100, 50, 25 and 10 ppm). The larvicidal activity was observed after ten minutes of the beginning of the treatment, in the end showed very significant results, with mortality potentials of up to 100% of the tested larvae, indicating accentuated toxical effects in some representatives of the volatile compounds present in the oils. For the oils of S. aromaticum, L. sidoides and H. martiusii DL50 of 1,0; 1,0 and 8,0 ppm, respectively, were observed.

Auxemma oncocalyx Taub. belongs to the Boraginaceae family and is native to the Brazilian northeast where it is known as "pau-branco". We investigated the ability of the water soluble fraction isolated from the heartwood of A. oncocalyx to inhibit sea urchin egg development. This fraction contains about 80% oncocalyxone A (quinone fraction), a compound known to possess strong cytotoxic and antitumor activities. In fact, the quinone fraction inhibited cleavage in a dose-dependent manner [IC50 of 18.4 (12.4-27.2) µg/ml, N = 6], and destroyed the embryos in the blastula stage [IC50 of 16.2 (13.7-19.2) µg/ml, N = 6]. We suggest that this activity is due to the presence of oncocalyxone A. In fact, these quinones present in A. oncocalyx extract have strong toxicity related to their antimitotic activity.