Tecendo Saberes na Meliponicultura

As plantas medicinais são usadas há muito tempo por nossos antepassados e são conhecidas por terem um papel importante na cura e tratamento de algumas doenças. Neste contexto as abelhas desempenham um papel importante, pois são atraídas pelas plantas e as plantas as atraem pelo néctar e pólen. Sendo assim as plantas são amigas das abelhas, ambas dependem uma das outras para perpetuação. No intuito de compreender a interação entre as espécies, o presente artigo objetivou identificar o perfil de um grupo de meliponicultores, bem como identificar a interação entre as plantas e as abelhas nativas. Os resultados indicam que a grande maioria dos meliponicultores está na atividade de meliponicultura para preservação das espécies, ou seja, revela a preocupação e conscientização ambiental. O estudo evidenciou, ainda, que os saberes associados à identificação das plantas do entorno, bem como época de floração e a preferência das abelhas nativas em visitá-las, contribui para a conservação da biodiversidade local

GC-MS Chemical Characterization and Antibacterial Effect of the Essential oil of <i>Piper mosenii</i>

Commercialized mouthwashes are generally expensive for the most financially vulnerable populations. Thus, several studies evaluate the antimicrobial potential of herbal products, such as essential oils, to reduce the activity of microorganisms in the mouth. The objective of this research was to carry out the chemical characterization and antibacterial activity of the essential oil of Piper mosenii (EOPm), providing data that enable the development of a low-cost mouthwash formulation aimed at vulnerable communities. The analysis of the antibacterial potential and modulator of bacterial resistance was verified by the microdilution method to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration-MIC. The chemical components were characterized by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, where 23 chemical constituents were detected, with α-pinene, being the major compound. The EOPm showed a MIC ≥ 1024 µg/mL for all bacterial strains used in the tests. When the EOPm modulating activity was evaluated together with chlorhexidine, mouthwash and antibiotics against bacterial resistance, the oil showed a significant synergistic effect, reducing the MIC of the products tested in combination, in percentages between 20.6% to 96.3%. Therefore, it is recommended to expand the tests with greater variation of EOPm concentration and the products used in this research, in addition to the evaluation of toxicity and in vivo tests, seeking the development of a possible formulation of mouthwash accessible to the vulnerable population