Moringa oleifera and Vernonia sp. extracts against Candida albicans and Microsporum canis isolates from dogs and cats and analysis of toxicity to Artemia sp./Extratos de Moringa oleifera e Vernonia sp. sobre Candida albicans e Microsporum canis isolados de caes e gatos e analise da toxicidade em Artemia sp

The increase in the incidence of fungal infections and the frequent report of resistance and therapeutic failure has promoted the performance of phytochemical screening for compounds with antifungal properties. Based on this, the present study investigated the antifungal potential of extracts of Baccharis ligustrina, B. schultzii, Croton jacobinensis, Licania rigida, Moringa oleifera, Vernonia sp. and V. brasiliana and of essential oils of Lippia alba (Chemotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4) and Ocimum gratissimum. Initially, a qualitative evaluation of the antifungal activity of each vegetal sample against strains of Candida albicans and Microsporum canis, through the agar diffusion method, was performed. Extracts of M. oleifera (MLF-C) and Vernonia sp. (TVS-H) presented activity against C. albicans and M. canis with inhibition halos =10mm. Then, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for MLF-C and TVS-H against 1 2 strains of C. albicans and M. canis were determined through the methodology established by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), and acute toxicity tests against Artemia sp. were performed for both extracts. MICs (80%j) for MLF-C and TVS-H varied from 0.156 to 2.5mg [mL.sup.-1] against C. albicans and from 0.039 to 1.25mg [mL.sup.-1] and 0.039 to 0.625mg [mL.sup.-1] against M. canis, respectively. MICs (100%) for MLF-C and TVS-H varied from 0.625 to >2.5mg [mL.sup.-1] for C. albicans and from 0.039 to 2.5mg [mL.sup.-1] and 0.078 to 1.25mg [mL.sup.-1] against M. canis, respectively. Lethal doses ([DL.sub.50]) of MLF-C and TVS-H were 201.09 and 204.17mg [mL.sup.-1], respectively, being, therefore, demonstrated the low toxicity of these extracts. M. oleifera and Vernonia sp. extracts presented in vitro antifungal activity against C. albicans and M. canis, creating perspectives for the development of studies on the characterizations of their bioactive components. Key words: Antifungal activity, vegetal extracts, Moringa oleifera, Vernonia sp., Candida albicans, Microsporum canis. O aumento da incidencia das infeccoes fungicas, bem como o registro crescente de resistencia e falha terapeutica, tem impulsionado a realizacao de estudos de prospeccao de fitoquimicos com propriedades antifungicas. Diante do exposto, o presente estudo investigou o potencial antifungico de extratos de Baccharis ligustrina, B. schultzii, Croton jacobinensis, Licania rigida, Moringa oleifera, Vernonia sp. e V. brasiliana, e de oleos essenciais de Lippia alba (Quimioti