Evaluation of the antiplasmodial and leishmanicidal potential of Myrciaria dubia (Myrtaceae) extract

Abstract

Introduction: 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.

Bioactive Compounds of Camu-Camu (Myrciaria dubia (Kunth) McVaugh)

“…Similar inhibitory results were reported with an aqueous ethanolic extract of fruit peel, leaves, and seeds [45]. Additionally, the aqueous and organic solvent extracts of the bark and leaves displayed in vitro growth inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum and Leishmania amazonensis [93,94].…”

Therapeutic Potential of Photosynthetic Microorganisms for Visceral Leishmaniasis: An Immunological Analysis

“…PBMCs from healthy humans were cultivated in 96-well plates and treated with different stimuli to evaluate the CC 50 . Cell treatment (containing 1 × 10 6 cells/ml) was performed in triplicate for each stimulus, incubated for 24 h, using concentrations of 62.5 to 1,000 µg/ml of bioactive extracts of PMs ( 25 , 26 ). After the culture time, the supernatant was discarded and MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] was added at a concentration of 1 mg/ml, solubilized in RPMI 1640 medium without phenol red, and incubated in an oven at 37°C for 3 h. Subsequently, the formazan crystals formed were solubilized with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and then read in a spectrophotometer at 540 nm ( 27 ).…”

Myrciaria Genus: Bioactive Compounds and Biological Activities

“…Thus, leaves and fruits of M. glazioviana showed antiinflammatory activity in in vivo models, [11,39] while seeds of M. dubia showed this effect in in vitro models. [25] Both Antioxidant, cytotoxic, antiproliferative, antimutagenic [15] Hydroalcoholic extracts from the pulp, seed and skin of the fruits Myricetin-O-pentoside, cyanidin-3-O-glycoside, p-coumaroyl hexoside, ellagic acid Antimicrobial, antiproliferative, nutraceutical [22] Dichloromethane extract of leaves -Antiplasmodic, leishmanicide [23] Extracts from the pulp and skin of the fruits Ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid - [24] Fruit juice Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, Delphinidin-3-O-glucoside Antigenotoxic, antimutagenic [16] Lyophilized Seed Extract Gallic acid, ellagic acid, quercetin-3-rutinoside, malvidin-3,5-diglucoside, cyanidin- Dichloromethane extract from leaves Quinic Acid, Gallic Acid Antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective [11] Ethanol extract of fruits Quercetin, dihydroquercetin, gallic acid, quinic acid, ascorbic acid Anti-inflammatory [39] species have quercetin among their identified compounds; this flavonoid has recognized anti-inflammatory activity and can justify the effect observed in the samples. [39] The mechanisms of action of quercetin's antiinflammatory activity have already been largely elucidated, both in in vitro and in vivo models.…”

“…[12] The extract of M. dubia leaves also has leishmanicidal activity through the resazurin model, inhibiting the growth of Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania chagasi promastigotes by up to 85 and 30 %, respectively. [23] The leaves of M. dubia also have an antiparasitic effect against the protozoan that causes malaria, thus, the extract showed an antiplasmodic effect against Plasmodium falciparum through the anti-HRP II immunoenzymatic assay. The antiplasmodic activity observed for this sample may be related to the presence of terpenoids.…”