Ethnopharmacology Study of Plants from Atlantic Forest with Leishmanicidal Activity

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by a protozoan belonging to Leishmania genus. Different clinical outcomes can be observed depending on the parasite species and patient’s health condition. The outcomes can range from single cutaneous lesions to lethal visceral form. The treatment of all forms of leishmaniasis is based on pentavalent antimonials, and, in some cases, the second-line drug, amphotericin B, is used. Beside the toxicity of both classes of drugs, in some areas of the world, parasites are resistant to antimonial. These detrimental features make fundamental the discovery and characterization of new drugs or plant extracts with leishmanicidal effects. Brazil is a well-known country for its biodiversity. Additionally, the common knowledge inherited for generations in small villages makes Brazil a source of new information and resources for the discovery and development of new drugs. Based on ethnopharmacology, elderlies were interviewed about plants they commonly used for skin diseases and infections. Five native plants from Atlantic forest were indicated; EtOH and n-hexane extracts were prepared with the vegetative organs of the plants and assayed against promastigote and amastigote forms of L. (L.) amazonensis. The major molecules of each extract were detected using qualitative nuclear magnetic resonance. Among all tested extracts, the n-hexane extract from the leave of Eugenia uniflora (Myrtaceae), enriched in myricitrin and quercitrin flavonoids, was the most effective against L. (L.) amazonensis amastigotes. This data supports the ethnopharmacology approach as a successful tool for the discovery of new drugs with leishmanicidal effects.

The Potential of Traditional Knowledge to Develop Effective Medicines for the Treatment of Leishmaniasis

“…However, the data collected show few or no published studies involving the use of traditional knowledge for the treatment of this infectious disease, with only two studies found in Colombia and none in Brazil. Although during this review it was not possible to obtain Brazilian studies focusing on “ethnopharmacology x leishmaniasis”, some studies within the scope of ethnopharmacology have offered information on the use of natural resources for the treatment of leishmaniasis ( França et al, 1996 ; Rodrigues, 2006 ; Santos et al, 2019 ), but they were not included in this review, as they were not found during the Boolean search.…”

Espécies frutíferas nativas do bioma Mata Atlântica: Panorama dos estudos sobre a temática no período de 2014 - 2021

“…Essas espécies frutíferas surgem como alternativa na busca de segurança alimentar aliada à conservação da biodiversidade (Souza et al, 2018), viabilizando sistemas agrícolas e naturais sustentáveis. Além disso, muitas dessas espécies vegetais são conhecidas por suas propriedades medicinais, tanto na medicina popular (Begossi et al, 2002;Beltreschi et al, 2019) quanto na medicina tradicional (Modolo, 2019;Santos et al, 2019).…”

Parasitological and immunological evaluation of a novel chemotherapeutic agent against visceral leishmaniasis

“…Studies have shown that these molecules can act also as antileishmanial agents. [17][18][19] Maclura tinctoria is a plant popularly known as mulberry, taiúva or amarelinho, which belongs to the Moraceae family and is found in tropical countries worldwide. 20,21 Numerous studies have reported that some flavonoids isolated from M tinctoria leaves extracts, 22,23 such as 5,7,3',4'-tetrahydroxy-6,8-diprenylisoflavone (CMt), have neuroprotective activity and anti-Trypanosoma brucei action.…”

“…Flavonoids are secondary metabolites extracted from plants which present diverse biological functions, such as antimicrobial, larvicidal, antiallergic and anti‐inflammatory activity. Studies have shown that these molecules can act also as antileishmanial agents 17‐19 . Maclura tinctoria is a plant popularly known as mulberry, taiúva or amarelinho, which belongs to the Moraceae family and is found in tropical countries worldwide 20,21 .…”