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Herein, we describe our results on the determination of the chemical profile of the essential oil (EO) of flowers from Tagetes minuta L. grown in Southern Brazil. The major component of the EO is (Z)-tagetone 1 (70.64% w/w). Thiotagetone 6, a semi-synthetic derivative, was prepared from 1 in 82% yield. Compounds 1 and 6 and the EO were evaluated for their antioxidant and antifungal activities in vitro. All the tested samples presented antioxidant effect in scavenging radical and in the lipid peroxidation assays. A good antifungal activity against Candida lipolityca, Candida parapsilosis, Trichosporon asahii and Sphaceloma ampelinum was observed. (Z)-Tagetone 1 inhibited the mycelia growth of S. ampelinum around 80% at 6 days. No acute toxicity (200 mg/kg) was observed in mice for the EO or the compounds 1 and 6. The lack of toxicity is an indicative for additional studies aiming their potential therapeutic use.

Psidium cattleianum Sabine (Myrtacea) is rich in vitamin C and phenolic compounds, including epicatechin and gallic acid as the main components.To evaluate the antifungal and antioxidant capacity in vitro of the essential oil of araçá (EOA). The acute toxicity of the EOA also was evaluated in mice.The leaves of the P. cattleianum were extracted by steam distillation. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by in vitro tests [1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS), ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), linoleic acid oxidation, thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS)], and ex vivo analysis [TBARS, δ-aminulevunilate dehydratase (δ-Ala-D) and catalase activity, non-protein thiols (NPSH), and ascorbic acid levels]. The toxicity was studied in mice by a single oral administration of EOA; and the antifungal activity was performed with five strains of fungi.The EOA exhibited antioxidant activity in the FRAP assay and reduced lipid peroxidation in the cortex (Imax = 32.90 ± 2.62%), hippocampus (IC50 = 48.00 ± 3.00 µg/ml and Imax = 32.90 ± 2.62%), and cerebellum (Imax = 45.40 ± 14.04%) of mice. Acute administration of the EOA by the oral route did not cause toxicological effects in mice (LD50 500 µg/ml). The EOA also showed antifungal activity through of the determination minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 41.67 ± 18.04 to 166.70 ± 72.17 µg/ml for tested strains.The results of present study indicate that EOA possess antioxidant properties, antifungal and not cause toxicity at tested doses.