Bixa orellana L. (Bixaceae) and Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants (Amaranthaceae) Essential Oils Formulated in Nanocochleates against Leishmania amazonensis

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a group of neglected tropical diseases caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus. The absence of effective vaccines and the limitations of current treatments make the search for effective therapies a real need. Different plant-derived essential oils (EOs) have shown antileishmanial effects, in particular from Bixa orellana L. (EO-Bo) and Dysphania ambrosioides (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants (EO-Da). In the present study, the EO-Bo and EO-Da, formulated in nanocochleates (EO-Bo-NC and EO-Da-NC, respectively), were evaluated in vitro and in vivo against L. amazonensis. The EO-Bo-NC and EO-Da-NC did not increase the in vitro inhibitory activity of the EOs, although the EO-Bo-NC showed reduced cytotoxic effects. In the animal model, both formulations (30 mg/kg/intralesional route/every 4 days/4 times) showed no deaths or weight loss greater than 10%. In the animal (mouse) model, EO-Bo-NC contributed to the control of infection (p < 0.05) in comparison with EO-Bo treatment, while the mice treated with EO-Da-NC exhibited larger lesions (p < 0.05) compared to those treated with EO-Da. The enhanced in vivo activity observed for EO-Bo-NC suggests that lipid-based nanoformulations like nanocochleates should be explored for their potential in the proper delivery of drugs, and in particular, the delivery of hydrophobic materials for effective cutaneous leishmaniasis treatment.

A clioquinol-containing Pluronic® F127 polymeric micelle system is effective in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in a murine model

“…Quinoline-derivative molecules have shown antileishmanial activity in both in vitro and/or in vivo experiments against different Leishmania spp., such as L. amazonensis, L. mexicana, and L. donovani, among others [11,17,24]. However, when used to treat infected mice, high daily doses (between 10 and 50 mg per kg body weight) are usually administered to the animals [32,42,47]. Here, we reported the in vivo efficacy of ICHQ/Mic against L. infantum infection by using 5.0 mg of ICHQ per kg body weight.…”

Ethyl Acetate Fraction of Bixa orellana and Its Component Ellagic Acid Exert Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Properties against Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense

“…Regarding the antibacterial effect, we observed that BoEA and ElAc exerted bactericidal effects. The antimicrobial activity of BoEA has been reported previously against various microorganisms, such as Gram-positive bacteria ( S. aureus and S. pyogenes ) [ 18 ], Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli , Salmonella typhi , Shigella dysenteriae , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Proteus vulgaris ) [ 37 ], yeast ( Candida albicans ) [ 38 ], antileishmanial [ 39 ], and antimalarial activities [ 40 ]. Our group previously demonstrated that BoEA has antimycobacterial activity against Mabs [ 14 ].…”

Essential oils from Dysphania genus: Traditional uses, chemical composition, toxicology, and health benefits

“…The hunt for effective therapeutics to treat Leishmaniasis has become an urgent requirement due to the absence of effective medicines and the limits of present treatments ( Machín et al, 2019 ). The anti-leishmanial activity of D. ambrosioides was demonstrated by Monzote et al, 2014 and 2018 ( Monzote et al, 2014 ; Monzote et al, 2018 ) against amastigotes and promastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis.…”