Aleochara pseudochrysorrhoa has a glandular complex known as the tergal gland. Generally, the tergal gland secretion (TGS) has been described to have defensive function, but some reports point to a possible secondary function of this complex. For example, the TGS of the related species A. curtula has been demonstrated to possess an important role in intraspecies communication. In this work, we describe the chemical composition of the TGS of A. pseudochrysorrhoa males and females. Eleven compounds were identified based on GC/MS and GC-FT-IR analyses, retention indexes and derivatization products. Furthermore, a brief study regarding the biological function of the TGS in mating behavior is provided, in which the stimulation of male grasping response reaction by female TGS proved to be dependent on concentration.

No abstract

No abstract

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease and a public health concern in at least 98 countries, affecting mainly the poorest populations. Pharmaceuticals and chemotherapies available for leishmaniasis treatment have several limitations, which clearly justify the efforts to find new potential antileishmanial drugs. In this context, antiprotozoal activities toward different Leishmania species have been reported for hypervalent tellurium compounds, which motivated us to investigate, for the first time, the leishmanicidal properties of some nonhypervalent diaryl ditellurides. Thus, this work describes in vitro activity against Leishmania amazonensis and the cytotoxicities of diaryl ditellurides. Ditelluride LQ7 revealed a strong leishmanicidal activity on promastigotes and amastigotes at submicromolar levels (IC 50 = 0.9 ± 0.1 and 0.5 ± 0.1 μmol L −1 , respectively) and presented selectivity indexes greater than those of reference drug miltefosine. This preliminary study suggests that diaryl ditellurides may be promising scaffolds for the development of new agents for leishmaniasis treatment.

No abstract