title: Antiprotozoal activity against Entamoeba histolytica of plants used in northeast Mexican traditional medicine. Bioactive compounds from Lippia graveolens and Ruta chalepensis.
abstract: Amoebiasis caused by Entamoeba histolytica is associated with high morbidity and mortality is becoming a major public health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. Because of the side-effects and the resistance that pathogenic protozoa build against the standard antiparasitic drugs, e.g., metronidazole, much recent attention has been paid to plants used in traditional medicine around the world in order to find new antiprotozoal agents. We collected 32 plants used in Northeast Mexican traditional medicine and the methanolic extracts of these species were screened for antiprotozoal activity against E. histolytica trophozoites using in vitro tests. Only 18 extracts showed a significant inhibiting activity and among them six plant extracts showed more than 80% growth inhibition against E. histolytica at a concentration of 150 µg/mL and the IC50 values of these extracts were determined. Lippia graveolens Kunth and Ruta chalepensis Pers. showed the more significant antiprotozoal activity (91.54% and 90.50% growth inhibition at a concentration of 150 µg/mL with IC50 values of 59.14 and 60.07 µg/mL, respectively). Bioassay-guided fractionation of the methanolic extracts from these two plants afforded carvacrol (1) and chalepensin (2), respectively, as bioactive compounds with antiprotozoal activity.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Av. Universidad S/N, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, C.P. 66451 Nuevo León, Mexico. Ramiro.quintanillalc@uanl.edu.mx.
authors.forename: Ramiro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quintanilla-Licea
authors.affiliation: Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Av. Universidad S/N, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, C.P. 66451 Nuevo León, Mexico. benitodavidm@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Benito David
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Mata-Cárdenas
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biología Celular, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas del Noreste (CIBIN), Dos de abril esquina con San Luis Potosí, C.P. 64720 Monterrey, Mexico. jvargas147@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vargas-Villarreal
authors.affiliation: Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Av. Universidad S/N, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, C.P. 66451 Nuevo León, Mexico. abazaldua5@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Aldo Fabio
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Bazaldúa-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, UANL, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Av. Universidad S/N, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolás de los Garza, C.P. 66451 Nuevo León, Mexico. isvark@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Isvar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kavimngeles-Hernández
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biología Celular, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas del Noreste (CIBIN), Dos de abril esquina con San Luis Potosí, C.P. 64720 Monterrey, Mexico. jesusnorbertogarza@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jesús Norberto
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Garza-González
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Bioquímica y Biología Celular, Centro de Investigaciones Biomédicas del Noreste (CIBIN), Dos de abril esquina con San Luis Potosí, C.P. 64720 Monterrey, Mexico. magdaehg@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Magda Elizabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hernández-García
mesh_terms: D000563:Amebicides / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000081007:Cymenes; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D004748:Entamoeba histolytica / Q000187:drug effects*; D011564:Furocoumarins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D032411:Lippia / Q000737:chemistry*; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008800:Mexico; D039821:Monoterpenes / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D032105:Ruta / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000563:Amebicides; D000081007:Cymenes; D011564:Furocoumarins; D039821:Monoterpenes; D010936:Plant Extracts; C020740:3-(alpha,alpha-dimethylallyl)psoralen; C073316:carvacrol