title: In vitro anti-Leishmania activity of tetracyclic iridoids from Morinda lucida, benth.
abstract: Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease transmitted by the sand fly. It is caused by over 20 different species of Leishmania and has affected over 14 million people worldwide. One of the main forms of control of leishmaniasis is chemotherapy, but this is limited by the high cost and/or toxicity of available drugs. We previously found three novel compounds with an iridoid tetracyclic skeleton to have activity against trypanosome parasites. In this study, we determined the activity of the three anti-trypanosome compounds against Leishmania using field strain, 010, and the lab strain Leishmania hertigi. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the compounds against 010 was determined by microscopy while the IC50 of compounds against L. hertigi was determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting with Guava viacount analysis. We found two of the three compounds, molucidin and ML-F52, to have anti-Leishmania activity against both strains. The fluor-microscope observation with DAPI stain revealed that both Molucidin and ML-F52 induced abnormal parasites with two sets of nucleus and kinetoplast in a cell, suggesting that compounds might inhibit cytokinesis in Leishmania parasites. Molucidin and ML-F52 might be good lead compounds for the development of new anti-Leishmania chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amoa-Bosompem
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.|Section of Environmental Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510 Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Mba-Tihssommah
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Mosore
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Agyapong
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagasaki International University, 2825-7 Huis Ten Bosch, Sasebo, Nagasaki 859-3298 Japan.
authors.forename: Nguyen Huu
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Tung
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.|Section of Environmental Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510 Japan.
authors.forename: Kofi D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Kwofie
authors.affiliation: Centre for Plant Medicine Research, P. O. Box 73, Mampong - Akuapem, Ghana.
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ayertey
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Kofi Baffuor-Awuah
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Owusu
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tuffour
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Atchoglo
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Georgina I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Djameh
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Faustus A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Azerigyik
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Senyo K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Botchie
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: William K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Anyan
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Appiah-Opong
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagasaki International University, 2825-7 Huis Ten Bosch, Sasebo, Nagasaki 859-3298 Japan.
authors.forename: Takuhiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uto
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagasaki International University, 2825-7 Huis Ten Bosch, Sasebo, Nagasaki 859-3298 Japan.
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Morinaga
authors.affiliation: Centre for Plant Medicine Research, P. O. Box 73, Mampong - Akuapem, Ghana.
authors.forename: Alfred A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Appiah
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ayi
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagasaki International University, 2825-7 Huis Ten Bosch, Sasebo, Nagasaki 859-3298 Japan.
authors.forename: Yukihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shoyama
authors.affiliation: Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 581, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Boakye
authors.affiliation: Section of Environmental Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510 Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohta
keywords: Chemotherapy; Cytokinesis; Leishmania; Leishmaniasis; Microscopy; Morphology; Proliferation