ChemInform Abstract: Plant Natural Products with Leishmanicidal Activity

Abstract

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Qualitative analysis of an ethanolic extract from Trametes versicolor and biological screening against Leishmania amazonensis.

“…It is not totally discarded that a synergic effect between some metabolites of the extracts can produced this activity. The more active extracts were selected for the cytotoxicity evaluation on peritoneal macrophage from BALB/c mice; comparing their activity against Leishmania promastigotes and the cytotoxicity displayed against peritoneal macrophage which establish whether "in vitro" activity of the extracts it's owing to selective metabolites composition or to its cytotoxic activity (Chan-Bacab et al, (2001);Croft et al, 2006). Besides the ethanol ext ract was active to the lower concentration the extracts showed a high toxic effect indicating an unspecifi c action due to the small value of SI obtained.…”

(+)-Spectaline, a Piperidine Alkaloid from <i>Senna spectabilis</i> DC. Effective in Reducing the <i>In Vitro</i> Infection of <i>Leishmania major</i>

“…Antioxidant and anticonvulsant activities have also been observed from alkaloids found in the leaf [26]. In antileishmanial area of study, a few alkaloids have been proven to be effective against extracellular promastigotes which have been extensively listed by Chan-Bacab and Pena Rodriguez [27]. In a more recent study [28], mixed compounds of major piperidine alkaloids from S. spectabilis flowers extract which consist of (-)-spectaline and (-)-casein have been claimed to be effective against promastigotes of L. major.…”

“…In a more recent study [28], mixed compounds of major piperidine alkaloids from S. spectabilis flowers extract which consist of (-)-spectaline and (-)-casein have been claimed to be effective against promastigotes of L. major. Through intracellular amastigotes assay model, several pure alkaloids such as berberine [29], liriodenin [30], harmaline [27] and gabunine [31] have been proven for their antileishmanial activity. Table 1 shows the results on the antileishmanial activity of extracts and fractions of S. spectabilis.…”

Antiulcer Activity after Oral Administration of the Wormwood Ethanol Extract on Lesions due to <I>Leishmania major</I> Parasites in BALB/C Mice

“…This was accomplished in a recent publication 4 . The lack of a suitable association between the data acquired by the in vitro bioassays and those from the in vivo evaluations, as well as the necessity to have rapid and simple evaluation procedures in which all species and strains of Leishmania could be incorporated, have stimulated the search for novel bioassay techniques to confirm leishmanicidal activity 7 . This is exemplified by the follow up and uptake by parasites of radioactive trace elements such as the use of tritiated hydrogen [ 3 H] atom in medicinal herbs.…”

“…However, since the extracellular promastigote is not the pathogenic form of the parasite in vertebrate hosts, assays carried out with promastigotes have solely an indicative value of the likely anti-Leishmania activity of the herbal extract or its metabolite tested. An initial evaluation using promastigotes have thus to be complemented with an assay on intracellular amastigotes within parasitophorous vacuoles of vertebrate host's macrophages 7 . Consequently, a recent study was conducted on the in vitro activities of A. absinthium on Leishmania major parasites, using a series of synchronous cell sensitivity and flow cytometry assays 4 .…”