title: Phenolic composition and antiparasitic activity of plants from the Brazilian Northeast "Cerrado".
abstract: This work describes the antiparasitic and cytotoxic activities of three plant species from the Cerrado biome, Northeastern Brazil. Significant antiparasitic inhibition was observed against Trypanosoma cruzi (63.86%), Leishmania brasiliensis (92.20%) and Leishmania infantum (95.23%) when using ethanol extract from leaves of Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. (Malvaceae), at a concentration of 500 μg/mL. However, low levels of inhibition were observed when assessing leishmanicidal and trypanocidal (Clone CL-B5) activities of crude ethanol extracts from leaves and bast tissue of Luehea paniculata (Malvaceae) and leaves and bark of Prockia crucis (Salicaceae) at a concentration of 500 μg/mL. The extracts revealed the presence of phenolic acids such as gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid, as well as flavonoids such as rutin, luteolin, apigenin and quercetin - the latter detected only in G. ulmifolia. G. ulmifolia extract displayed higher leishmanicidal activity probably due to the presence of quercetin, a potent known leishmanicidal compound. A cytotoxicity test indicated values over 50% at the highest concentration (1000 μg/mL) for all natural products, which were considered cytotoxic. This points out the need for further tests to enable future in vivo trials, including antineoplastic activity on human tumor cells.
authors.affiliation: Post Graduation Biotechnological Programme - RENORBIO, Laboratory of Natural Products, State University of Ceará, Itaperi Campus, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
authors.forename: João Tavares
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Calixto Júnior
authors.affiliation: Post Graduation Biotechnological Programme - RENORBIO, Laboratory of Natural Products, State University of Ceará, Itaperi Campus, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Selene Maia
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: de Morais
authors.affiliation: Centro para el Desarrollo de la Investigación Científica (CEDIC), Fundación Moisés Bertoni/Laboratorios Díaz Gill, Asunción, Paraguay.
authors.forename: Celeste Vega
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.affiliation: Centro para el Desarrollo de la Investigación Científica (CEDIC), Fundación Moisés Bertoni/Laboratorios Díaz Gill, Asunción, Paraguay.
authors.forename: Cathia Coronel
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Molas
authors.affiliation: Centro para el Desarrollo de la Investigación Científica (CEDIC), Fundación Moisés Bertoni/Laboratorios Díaz Gill, Asunción, Paraguay.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rolon
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Pharmacy, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aline Augusti
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Boligon
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Pharmacy, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil.
authors.forename: Margareth Linde
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Athayde
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará State, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cícera Datiane
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: de Morais Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará State, Brazil.
authors.forename: Saulo Relison
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Tintino
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará State, Brazil.
authors.forename: Melo Coutinho
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Henrique Douglas
keywords: Guazuma ulmifolia; Leishmanicidal activity; Luehea paniculata; Prockia crucis; Trypanocidal activity