Antileishmanial and trypanocidal activity of Brazilian Cerrado plants.
The side effects and the emerging resistance to the available drugs against leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis led to the urgent need for new therapeutic agents against these diseases. Thirty one extracts of thirteen medicinal plants from the Brazilian Cerrado were therefore evaluated in vitro for their antiprotozoal activity against promastigotes of Leishmania donovani, and amastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi. Among the selected plants, Casearia sylvestris var. lingua was the most active against both L. donovani and T. cruzi. Fifteen extracts were active against promastigotes of L. donovani with concentrations inhibiting 50% of parasite growth (IC50) between 0.1-10 microg/ml, particularly those of Annona crassiflora (Annonaceae), Himatanthus obovatus (Apocynaceae), Guarea kunthiana (Meliaceae), Cupania vernalis (Sapindaceae), and Serjania lethalis (Sapindaceae). With regard to amastigotes of T. cruzi, extracts of A. crassiflora, Duguetia furfuracea (Annonaceae), and C. sylvestris var. lingua were active with IC50 values between 0.3-10 microg/ml. Bioassay fractionations of the more active extracts are under progress to identify the active antiparasite compounds.
Mesquita
Mariana Laundry de
ML
Laboratório de Farmacognosia, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Universidade de Brasília, 70910-900 Brasília, DF, Brazil.
Desrivot
Julie
J
Bories
Christian
C
Fournet
Alain
A
Paula
José Elias de
JE
Grellier
Philippe
P
Espindola
Laila Salmen
LS
D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001938:Brazil; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000187:drug effects*; D021261:Parasitic Sensitivity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000145:classification; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000187:drug effects*
D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents