Calophyllum brasilienseModulates the Immune Response and PromotesLeishmania amazonensisIntracellular Death

Abstract

Calophyllum brasiliense is a plant from the Brazilian rain forests and has been used in folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases, including leishmaniasis. This infectious disease depends on the Leishmania sp. and the host immune response. C. brasiliense antileishmanial activity is well known, but the effects on immune response remain to be investigated. This study showed the leishmanicidal and immunomodulatory effects of a 30 μg/mL of hydroalcoholic extract of C. brasiliense in murine macrophages before and after Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis infection. The semiquantitative cytokine RNA expression was determined by RT-PCR and the anti-Leishmania activity was measured by infection index (IF). Hydroalcoholic extract of C. brasiliense reduced more than 95% of IF when used before and after Leishmania infection, with 3 and 24 h of treatment (p < 0.05). C. brasiliense inhibited or reduced significantly (p < 0.05) the TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-18, and IL-10 mRNA expression. The antileishmanial and anti-inflammatory effects showed the potential of C. brasiliense as an alternative therapy for leishmaniasis and it must be investigated.

Challenges, Opportunities, and Pitfalls for Global Coupled Hydrologic‐Hydraulic Modeling of Floods

“…Moreover, event-based modeling and data assimilation in low and dry periods were envisaged as pragmatic solutions to improve floodplain inundation forecast skill. Conceptualization of the outcomes of this study can be readily applied to improve the accuracy of long-term flow modeling in the MDB, thus providing a powerful tool to (i) support flood forecast and risk analysis (e.g., Domeneghetti et al, 2018), (ii) complement remote sensing-based investigations of surface flow connectivity and its ecological implications (e.g., Bishop-Taylor et al, 2015;Bishop-Taylor et al, 2018;Heimhuber et al, 2016Heimhuber et al, , 2017Huang et al, 2014;Tulbure et al, 2016), and (iii) support investigation of groundwater recharge due to flooding (e.g., Doble et al, 2014).…”

Modulación del inflamasoma por Leishmania

“…Calophyllum brasiliense, una planta de las selvas tropicales de Brasil se ha utilizado en la medicina popular para el tratamiento de diversas enfermedades, incluyendo la leishmaniasis. Un extracto hidroalcohólico de C. brasiliense fue aplicado a los macrófagos murinos antes y después de la infección por L. (L.) amazonensis, causando una reducción en la expresión de la IL-1β e IL-18 y favoreciendo la resolución de la leishmaniasis (53). Además de ser un fármaco antifúngico, la anfotericina B posee actividad leishmanicida y es capaz de inducir la secreción de la IL-1β e IL-18 en los monocitos de sangre humana.…”

Introductory Chapter: Leishmaniasis: An Emerging Clinical Syndrome

“…A host of plant extracts or oils and their phytoconstituents (alkaloids, terpenoids, quinones, flavonoids, saponins, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, lignoids, naphthoquinones, iridoids, and more) have shown promise in vitro and/or in vivo [36][37][38][39][40][41]. In some cases, the leishmanicidal effect is potentiated by immunomodulation [3,42]. Besides plants, secondary metabolites from microorganisms such as fungi [43] and marine organisms have also been reported.…”