Resumo

Introduction: Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is a systemic granulomatous disease of great importance in our country, given its frequency, in Brazil represents 80% of reported cases occurred in patients in the Southeast and South, specifically in Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul is a deep mycosis caused by the dimorphic fungus P. brasiliensis. Clinical manifestations range from localized forms to disseminated disease that can lead to lethality. In endemic areas the incidence of the disease is estimated at approximately one to three cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. By reason of the lethality of the disease and the high frequency that affects the southeast of the country, the objective this study was to investigate in vitro possible antifungal action and cytotoxicity of the protocatechuic acid (fraction Heptyl) in P. brasiliensis. Material and methods: P. lutzii (Pb 01 - ATCC MYA-826) and P. brasiliensis. (Pb 18) were used in this study. The strains were cultured in Fava Netto incubated 5 days at a temperature of 37 °C in aerobic condition. To achieve the sensitivity tests were conducted according to the document M27-A2 (2002) CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) with modifications. Cytotoxicity of protocatechuic acid was evaluated at concentrations from 62.5 to 0.12 mg/L in normal oral keratinocytes (NOK) and in human pneumocyte cells normal (MRC5) Sulphorodamide assay used at a concentration of 0,1%. Hydrogen peroxide was used as positive controls. The assay was performed in triplicate. Results: The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were 7.8 mg / L and 3.9 mg / L, for Pb 18 and Pb 01, respectively. The cytotoxicity tests performed with NOK and MRC5 showed that the experimental substance is not cytotoxic to this cells examined, with more than 96% of cell viability for MRC5 and 77.3% for keratinocytes. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate the potential use of protocatechuic acid for the therapeutic of the paracoccidioidomycosis, which showed a strong antifungal activity against the fungi studied without cytotoxicity, which could become a promising antifungal.