Summary
In a previous work, the in vitro and in vivo activity of a series of diarylheptanoid derivatives against Leishmania amazonensis has been described. Based on the promising results, ten new compounds belonging to the same chemical class were synthesized and have been investigated in relation to their leishmanicidal activity. The compounds were obtained through several chemical modifications on the basic structure of curcumin (1,7-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione) in an attempt to increase its effectiveness and decrease the potential toxic effects. The drugs were assayed in vitro against L. amazonensis promastigotes and using pentamidine isethionate as reference drug. The results showed that the most effective compound is 1,7-bis-(4-propargyl-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione, which is about ten times more efficient than the original curcumin. Nevertheless, these results did not allow us to make any correlation between the leishmanicidal activity and the chemical structure of the compounds.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.