Antileishmanial activity of Melampodium divaricatum and Casearia sylvestris essential oils on Leishmania amazonensis

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a disease that affects millions of people and it is an important public health problem. The drugs currently used for the treatment of leishmaniasis present undesirable side effects and low efficacy. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro activity of Melampodium divaricatum (MD-EO) and Casearia sylvestris (CS-EO) essential oils (EO) against promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis . Sesquiterpenes E -caryophyllene (56.0%), germacrene D (12.7%) and bicyclogermacrene (9.2%) were identified as the main components of MD-EO , whereas E -caryophyllene (22.2%), germacrene D (19.6%) and bicyclogermacrene (12.2%) were the main constituents of CS-EO. CS-EO and E -caryophyllene were active against promastigote forms of L. amazonensis (IC 50 24.2, 29.8 and 49.9 µg/mL, respectively). However, MD-EO, CS-EO and E -caryophyllene were more active against amastigote forms, with IC 50 values of 10.7, 14.0, and 10.7 µg/mL, respectively. E -caryophyllene presented lower cytotoxicity against macrophages J774-A1 (CC 50 of 62.1 µg/mL) than the EO. The EOs and E -caryophyllene should be further studied for the development of new antileishmanial drugs.

Casearia sylvestris Essential Oil Degradation Products Generated by Leaf Processing

“…lingua leaves did not give significantly different EO yields ( p >0.05): 1.4 and 0.9 %, respectively ( Figure 1). These results resembled literature data on C. sylvestris leaf EO yields: from 0.2 to 2.5 % w/w [10,13,14,25] . The fresh var.…”

“…These data suggest the potential use of the EO in the treatment of gastric disorders. The EO activity also has been demonstrated against Gram‐positive, Gram‐negative microorganisms and promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis [11–13] . In a study on the antinociceptive activity, the EO significantly inhibited (about 60 %) the number of contortions induced by intraperitoneal administration of acetic acid in mice by the writhing test.…”

Antileishmanial Compounds Isolated from Psidium Guajava L. Using a Metabolomic Approach

“…In our study, corosolic acid and jacoumaric acid displayed the most interesting antileishmanial activity in the amastigotes stage with respective IC 50 values of 1.01 ± 0.06 µg/mL and 1.32 ± 0.59 µg/mL and an SI above five. This makes these two compounds more active than other triterpenoids such as ursolic acid (IC 50 value 27 µg/mL) [30], E-caryophyllene (IC 50 value 10.7 ± 0.6 µg/mL) [31], and spergulin-A (IC 50 value 6.22 µg/mL) [32]. Both compounds have previously been identified in P. guajava and suggested to be good candidates for the development of new treatments for sickle cell anemia [33].…”

Green Approach: ‘‘A Forwarding Step for Curing Leishmaniasis—A Neglected Tropical Disease’’

“…Essential oils from Eugenia uniflorae potentially inhibit the growth of both the parasitic forms, that is, promastigote and amastigote, of L. amazonensis, and Ageratum conyzoides has been reported to treat infection caused by L. donovani (amastigote form) (Silveira et al, 2021). E-caryophyllene, the main component of Melampodium divaricatum and Casearia sylvestris essential oil, has been reported for its promising antileishmanial response against L. amazonensis (IC 50 values of 10.7, 10.7, and 14.0 μg/ ml) (Moreira et al, 2019). Moreover, 1,8-cineole, α-pinene, and p-cymene active constituents of Protium altsonii and P. hebetatum (Burseraceae) exhibited dose-dependent amastigote inhibition with IC 50 of 48.4, 37, and 46 μg/ml, respectively (Santana et al, 2020).…”