title: In vivo antigiardial activity of three flavonoids isolated of some medicinal plants used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of diarrhea.
abstract: Mexican traditional medicine uses a great variety of plants in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea. In order to understand the properties of some of their chemical constituents, three flavonoids (kaempferol, tiliroside and (-)-epicatechin) isolated from Geranium mexicanum, Cuphea pinetorum, Helianthemum glomeratum, and Rubus coriifolius, were assayed to demonstrate their in vivo antiprotozoal activity; using an experimental infection of Giardia lamblia in suckling female CD-1 mice. Compounds tested showed antigiardial activity with values of ED(50) (micromol/kg) 0.072 for (-)-epicatechin, 2.057 for kaempferol and 1.429 for tiliroside. The most active flavonoid was the (-)-epicatechin, its activity was higher than metronidazole and emetine, drugs used as positive controls. In the case of kaempferol and tiliroside their potency was close to that of the metronidazole, but far less than emetine.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación Medica en Farmacología de Productos Naturales, Hospital de Pediatría, 2 Piso, Centro Medico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Av. Cuauhtemoc 330, Col. Doctores, CP 06725, México, D.F., México. fercalber1@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Calzada
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Campos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001578:Benzopyrans / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002392:Catechin / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005419:Flavonoids; D016829:Giardia lamblia / Q000187:drug effects*; D044949:Kaempferols / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008800:Mexico; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001578:Benzopyrans; D005419:Flavonoids; D044949:Kaempferols; C052083:tiliroside; C006552:kaempferol; D002392:Catechin