Objective: To evaluate the anti Candida activity of Hyptis martiusii decoction and its major compound, caffeic acid alone or in the presence of fluconazole, as well as their cytotoxic effect. Methods: The decoction was characterized using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detector. For the antifungal activity, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the potential effect of the decoction with the fluconazole were evaluated by microdilution method using 96-well microtiter trays. The osmotic fragility test was performed using erythrocytes under saline stress. All tests were performed in triplicate. Results: The chemical characterization of the decoction was performed by high performance liquid chromatography and revealed the presence of seven compounds, including caffeic acid as major constituent. The antifungal tests demonstrated that both decoction (DHm) and caffeic acid obtained from Hyptis martiusii presented MIC and MFC ≥ 4096 μg/mL against Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis strains. However, in the presence of fluconazole, DHm and caffeic acid presented IC

Objective To investigate the antifungal activity of the fern species Lygodium venustum (L. venustum) and Pityrogramma calomelanos (P. calomelanos) against Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis strains. Methods The microdilution method was used to evaluate the antifungal activity, as well as the modulating effects of ethanolic extracts of these plants in combination with fluconazole. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum fungicide concentration and morphological changes were also determined. Results The extract obtained from L. venustum presented a MIC > 8 192 μg/mL, while the extract obtained from and P. calomelanos presented a MIC = 8 192 μg/mL, indicating that they present weak antifungal activity. However, combination of the extracts with Fluconazole potentiated the antifungal activity of this drug. At different experimental conditions, such as concentration of the extract and type of strain, the extracts inhibited hyphae and pseudohyphae formation, indicating that these fern species can affect the morphology of the fungi. Conclusions The extracts obtained from the fern species L. venustum and P. calomelanos dose not present significant antifungal activity. However, P. calomelanos potentiates the activity of fluconazole and both extracts inhibits the morphological changes in Candida species, indicating that they have potential pharmacological activity as modulators of fungal biology. Therefore, novel studies are required to characterize the interference of these extracts in the virulence and pathogenicity of Candida species as well as the potential of fern species to treat fungal infections.