Background: Cutaneous melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer, with the worst prognosis, and it affects a younger population than most cancers. The high metastatic index, in more advanced stages, and the high aggressiveness decrease the effectiveness of currently used therapies, such as surgical removal, radiotherapy, cryotherapy, and chemotherapy, used alone or in combination. Based on these disadvantages, research focused on alternative medicine offers great potential for therapeutic innovation. Medicinal plants represent a remarkable source of compounds for the treatment of various diseases. Methods: In this study, we investigated the tumoral behavior of melanoma under treatment with the compounds baccarin and p-coumaric acid, extracted from green propolis, in mice inoculated with B16F10 cells for 26 days. Results: A significant modulation in the number of inflammatory cells recruited to the tumor region and blood in the groups treated with the compounds was observed. In addition, a significant reduction in the amount of blood vessels and mitosis in the neoplastic area was noticed. Conclusions: Through our research, we confirmed that baccarin and coumaric acid, isolated substances from Brazilian green propolis, have a promising anticarcinogenic potential to be explored for the development of new antitumor agents, adhering to the trend of drugs with greater tolerance and biological effectiveness.

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Snake envenomations are one of the most common venomous accidents caused by animals in the world. The symptoms induced after bite vary accordingly to the species. Most of the snake venoms elicit direct or indirect activation of the innate immune responses that ranges from local to systemic effects and contributes to the clinical manifestations after envenoming. The venom interacts with the immune system by inducing the release of damage-associated molecular patterns, which contributes to create a proinflamatory status, release of cytokines and lipid mediators, and has properties to modulate other components of the innate immune system like the complement system. In this review, we highlitht some studies that point out over the years the mechanisms by which snake venoms interact with the innate immune system, as well as the pharmacological potential of this class of compounds with great applicability to the medical field.