title: Alternative and complementary antileishmanial treatments: assessment of the antileishmanial activity of 27 Lebanese plants, including 11 endemic species.
abstract: Aqueous, methanolic, and dichloromethane extracts from 27 Lebanese plants were investigated for their in vitro immunomodulatory and antileishmanial activities as compared to their toxicity against human cells. Extracts from yellow chamomile (Anthemis tinctoria), white larkspur (Consolida rigida), Syrian broom (Cytisus syriacus), coast spurge (Euphorbia paralias), shield fibigia (Fibigia clypeata), Auchers golden-drop (Onosma aucheriana), shell-flower sage (Salvia multicaulis), snowy woundwort (Stachys nivea), Palestine woundwort (Stachys palaestina), and polium-leaved speedwell (Veronica polifolia) exhibited interesting antileishmanial activities on the intracellular amastigote form of the parasite, while several extracts from A. tinctoria, F. clypeata, and O. aucheriana were shown to induce nitrous oxide (NO) production by human macrophages. Further experiments should be performed in order to purify and characterize the chemical compounds responsible for these activities.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Parasitologie Hygiène et Zoologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France. Carole.Digiorgio@Pharmacie.univ-mrs.fr
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Giorgio
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Delmas
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tueni
authors.forename: Edmond
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cheble
authors.forename: Taoubi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Balansard
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000187:drug effects*; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts