Anti-Leishmania activity of extracts from Piper cabralanum C.DC. (Piperaceae)

Abstract

Species of Piperaceae are known by biological properties, including antiparasitic such as leishmanicidal, antimalarial and in the treatment of schistosomiasis. The aim of this work was to evaluate the antileishmania activity, cytotoxic effect, and macrophage activation patterns of the methanol (MeOH), hexane (HEX), dichloromethane (DCM) and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extract fractions from the leaves of Piper cabralanum C.DC. The MeOH, HEX and DCM fractions inhibited Leishmanina amazonensis promastigote-like forms growth with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 144.54, 59.92, and 64.87 μg/mL, respectively. The EtOAc fraction did not show any relevant activity. The half maximal cytotoxic concentration (CC50) for macrophages were determined as 370.70, 83.99, 113.68 and 607 μg/mL for the MeOH, HEX and DCM fractions, respectively. The macrophage infectivity was concentration-dependent, especially for HEX and DCM. MeOH, HEX and DCM fractions showed activity against L. amazonensis with low cytotoxicity to murine macrophages and lowering infectivity by the parasite. Our results provide support for in vivo studies related to a potential application of P. cabralanum extract and fractions as a promising natural resource in the treatment of leishmaniasis.

Role of natural plant extracts for potential antileishmanial targets–In-depth review of the molecular mechanism

“…The IC 50 values for The methanol extract, hexane extract, dichloromethane extract, and ethyl acetate extract having IC 50 values144.54 µg/ml and 0.51 µg/ml,59.92 µg/ml and 21.08 µg/ml, 64.87 µg/ml and 35.63 µg/ml, >800 µg/ml and 27.19 µg/ml in promastigote and amastigote respectively. The effect of crude extract on parasites is demonstrated to be the induction of a Th-2 type immune response, inhibition of promastigote form growth, inhibition of macrophage internalized amastigote form, and stimulation of NO production (26).…”