Protective effect of Croton caudatus Geisel leaf extract against experimental visceral leishmaniasis induces proinflammatory cytokines in vitro and in vivo

Natural Products: Insights into Leishmaniasis Inflammatory Response

“…In accordance with Dey et al (2015) [ 39 ], Yamamoto et al (2014) also described an antileishmanial compound that induces Th1 response. L. amazonensis -infected mice were treated with a triterpene-rich fraction of Bacchari suncinella during five days.…”

“…This is contradictory since many studies pointed out that the Th1-mediated response is important for disease control. The activation of type effector cells that produce the macrophage-activating cytokines (i.e., IFN- γ ) is necessary for host control over parasite replication [ 39 ]. Increasing evidence suggests that the paradigm established about the necessity of a Th1 response for a better prognosis of leishmaniasis is not a rigid concept and the balance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines determines the outcome of the infection [ 40 – 42 ].…”

“…Several studies have described the effects of plant extracts or isolated compounds in immune cells and cytokine production [ 43 ]. Thus, the study of active compounds obtained from plants used in traditional medicine plays a pivotal role in the search for new antileishmanial molecules [ 39 , 41 ].…”

“…Croton caudatus leaves extract is a promising extract against visceral leishmaniasis. Stems and leaves of C. caudatus have been used for the treatment of rheumatic arthritis, malaria, convulsions, ardent fever, numbness, worm-infested animals, vomiting, and dysentery in India [ 39 ]. Terpenes as crotocaudin, isocrotocaudin, crotoncaudatin, and crocaudatol have been isolated from this extract.…”

“…In addition, the parasite load in spleen was reduced dose-dependently. As JDHex was efficient against L. donovani intracellular amastigotes, the authors suggested that the proinflammatory activity of JDHex may be useful for antileishmanial therapy [ 39 ]. Using a similar in vivo model, Bhattacharjee et al (2012) and Chouhan et al (2015) found comparable results for treatment of L. donovani with glycyrrhizic acid ( Figure 1 ) extract from liquorice ( Glycyrrhiza glabra ) and ethanol extract of A. indica , respectively [ 37 , 47 ].…”