110SOLIDAGO CHILENSIS ESSENTIAL OIL AS A POTENTIAL NEW DRUG AGAINST RESISTANT CANDIDA ISOLATES, WITHOUT HUMAN BLOOD CELL DAMAGE AND GENOTOXICITYThe increased incidence and severity of opportunity fungal infections, and the morbidity and mortality associated with them, have led to many reports of resistance of microorganisms to antifungal drugs, demonstrating the importance of bioprospecting studies in the search for active natural products without human toxicicity. The aim of this study was to find new non toxic potential antifungal agents from Solidago chilensis, a species with medicinal use, which is easy to cultivate and has widespread occurrence. Plant leaves and inflorescences were steam distilled and the composition of the essential oils was determined by means of GC-MS analysis. The antifungal activity of the essential oils was evaluated against 15 resistant clinical isolates of Candida parapsilosis and C. krusei by the broth microdilution method. Human cell viability and DNA damage after treatment with essential oils were assessed through the comet assay. The main constituents of the inflorescences were D-limonene (30.31%), germacrene-D (33.07 %) and bicyclogermacrene (17.81%), and the main constituents of the leaves were germacrene-D (29.81%), bicyclogermacrene (11.7%) and spathulenol (26.09%). Both essential oils showed strong activity, with MIC and MFC ranging from 1.95 to 62.5 μg ml−1. Furthermore, it was also observed that S. chilensis essential oils have no cytotoxicity to human cells when used at concentrations of 100 μg ml−1. The essential oils are active in vitro against the Candida species, proving to be promising sources, at non-cytotoxic concentrations, of new phytotherapeutic agents for the treatment mycosis.rafaelamarin@gmail.comResearch542015Solidago chilensis,Essential oils,Candida krusei,Candida parapsilosis,Cytotoxicity,Antifungal activityRafaela Marin,Alexandre M. Fuentefria,Luís Flávio Oliveira,Miriam Anders Apel,Angélica Rocha Joaquim,Pedro Ros Petrovick,Amélia T. HenriquesFaculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Department of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal do Pampa, Uruguaiana, Brazil.,Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.,Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.