Evaluation of the antiplasmodial and leishmanicidal potential of Myrciaria dubia (Myrtaceae) extract.
Malaria and leishmaniasis are prevalent in tropical regions, which have environmental characteristics that are highly favorable to protozoa and vectors of these diseases; the transmission of these infections in sub-tropical regions, although recognized, represents only a small fraction of cases. Plants are constantly being used in the search for and acquisition of new drugs, and many compounds derived from them have been used to combat various diseases. In this study, we evaluated the action of the dichloromethanolic extract of Myrciaria dubia leaves against the protozoa Plasmodium falciparum, Leishmania amazonensis, Leishmania braziliensis, and Leishmania chagasi through bioassays.


METHODS
The extract from M. dubia was tested for its anti-P. falciparum activity in an anti-histidine-rich protein II immunosorbent assay. The antileishmanial assays were performed using the resazurin method, while cytotoxicity against human hepatoma (HepG2) strain was determined using the colorimetric MTT [3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2- thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H tetrazolium bromide] method.


RESULTS
The M. dubia extract presented a half-maximal inhibitory concentration equal to 2.35 (1.05)μg/mL for P. falciparum, 190.73 (6.41) μg/mL for L. amazonensis, and greater than equal to 200µg/mL for L. chagasi and L. braziliensis strains. The cytotoxic concentration for 50% of the cells was above 500μg/mL for HepG2, indicating no toxicity and greater selectivity against parasites.


CONCLUSIONS
The results obtained indicate the presence of antiplasmodial and leishmanicidal bioactive compounds in the dichloromethanolic extracts of M. dubia leaves, and point towards future studies to elucidate the mechanism of action for each physiological effect.
Laboratório de Microbiologia Geral e Aplicada, Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil.|Laboratório de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil.
Vanessa Carolina de Sena
VC
Correia
Laboratório de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil.
Nathália Oliveira
NO
Lima
Laboratório da Plataforma de Bioensaios de Malária e Leishmaniose, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil.
Flávio Augusto de Souza
FA
Oliveira
Laboratório da Plataforma de Bioensaios de Malária e Leishmaniose, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil.
Ana Paula de Azevedo Dos
AP
Santos
Laboratório da Plataforma de Bioensaios de Malária e Leishmaniose, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil.
Carolina Bioni Garcia
CB
Teles
Laboratório de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil.
Waldesse Piragé de
WP
Oliveira
Laboratório de Microbiologia Geral e Aplicada, Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Palmas, Tocantins, Brazil.
And Raphael Sanzio
AR
Pimenta
D000962:Antimalarials / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D003124:Colorimetry; D056945:Hep G2 Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D007891:Leishmania / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects*; D027822:Myrtaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D021261:Parasitic Sensitivity Tests; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000187:drug effects*
D000962:Antimalarials; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts