Evaluation of antileishmanial potential of Tinospora sinensis against experimental visceral leishmaniasis.
The chemotherapeutic interventions against visceral leishmaniasis (VL) are limited and facing serious concerns of toxicity, high cost, and emerging drug resistance. There is a greater interest in new drug developments from traditionally used medicinal plants which offers unprecedented diversity in structures and bioactivity. With this rationale, ethanolic extract of Tinospora sinensis Linn and its four fractions were tested in vitro against promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes and in vivo in Leishmania donovani infected hamsters. Ethanolic extract exhibited an appreciable activity against promastigotes (IC(50) 37.6+/-6.2 microg/ml) and intracellular amastigotes (IC(50) 29.8+/-3.4 microg/ml). In hamsters, it resulted in 76.2+/-9.2% inhibition at 500 mg/kg/day x 5 oral dose level. Among fractions, n-butanol imparted highest in vitro and in vivo activities. Ethanolic extract and butanol fraction also enhances reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) release. The results indicate that T. sinensis may provide new lead molecules for the development of alternative drugs against VL.
Singh
Nasib
N
Division of Parasitology, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226 001, India.
Kumar
Awanish
A
Gupta
Prasoon
P
Chand
Kailash
K
Samant
Mukesh
M
Maurya
Rakesh
R
Dube
Anuradha
A
D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002725:Chloroform; D006224:Cricetinae; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012997:Solvents; D031610:Tinospora
D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012997:Solvents; D002725:Chloroform