title: Antitubercular activity and the subacute toxicity of (-)-Licarin A in BALB/c mice: a neolignan isolated from Aristolochia taliscana.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Tuberculosis remains a worldwide health problem and requires long-term treatment with several antibiotics; therefore, compliance problems and the emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR) are involved. (-)-Licarin A (LA) was isolated from diverse plants such as Aristolochia taliscana and possesses antimycobacterial, antiinflammatory, trypanocidal, and neuroprotective activities. The aim of the study was to determine the antitubercular and subacute toxicity of LA isolated from A. taliscana in BALB/c mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  The antitubercular activity of LA was tested in a TB murine model inducing disease with M. tuberculosis H37Rv or MDR. Mice were treated with LA (5 mg/kg) for 30 and 60 days; post/treatment, lung bacilli loads and pneumonia percentage were determined. The subacute toxicity of LA (21 days) was evaluated in healthy mice. After treatment, biochemical and hematological parameters were determined and main organs were analyzed histologically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In animals infected with drug-sensitive or MDR strains, LA produced a significant decrease of pulmonary bacillary burdens at day 30 of treatment, and a significant pneumonia reduction at days 30 and 60 of treatment. Regarding subacute toxicity, LA administration during 21 days showed no abnormalities in main-organ macro- and microarchitecture. Biochemical and hematological parameters analyzed showed no statistical differences between control and treated groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (-)-Licarin A reduces pneumonia of mice infected with both mycobacterium strains. Also, subacute toxicity of LA exhibits no major signs of damage. Biochemical and hematological parameters and histological analyses indicate that LA caused no significant changes at the doses assayed.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación Médica en Farmacología, UMAE Hospital de Especialidades, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI (CMN-SXXI), Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: León-Díaz
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meckes-Fischer
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Valdovinos-Martínez
authors.forename: María G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Rogelio
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hernández-Pando
authors.forename: María Adelina
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Arellanes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D030022:Aristolochia / Q000737:chemistry*; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D017705:Lignans / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D017705:Lignans; C432503:licarin A