24 research outputs found
In vitro antiplasmodial activity of crude extracts of Tetrapleura tetraptera and Copaifera religiosa
Recent advances in the fight against leishmaniasis with natural products
The active compounds obtained from some medicinal plants used traditionally worldwide for the treatment of leishmaniasis are reviewed. Among these active molecules described in recent literature are quinoline alkaloids such as alkyl-2 quinoline and aryl-2 quinoline from Galipea longiflora, isoquinoline alkaloids such as isoguattouregidine from Guatteria foliosa, indole alkaloids such as conodurine and gabunine from Pescheiera van heurkii, terpenes such as jatrogrossidione from Jatropha grossidentata, acetogenins such as senegalene from Annona senegalensis and lignans such as (+)nyasol from Asparagus africanus. Other natural compounds with antileishmanial activity are coumarins, chalcones, lactones, tetralones and saponins. Some of them are known antiprotozoal natural products. These compounds could be used as templates to discover new and effective drugs against leishmaniasis
In Vitro Antileishmanial Activity of Aloe Vera Leaf Exudate: A Potential Herbal Therapy in leishmaniasis
Aloe vera has wide spread use in health products,
and despite several reports on the whole plant and inner gel, little work has been performed on the leaf exudate. Our aim was to evaluate the in vitro efficacy of Aloe vera leaf exudate (AVL) in leishmaniasis. Irrespective of the disease manifestation, promastigotes from strains responsible for cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral leishmaniasis were susceptible to AVL and their IC50 ranged from 100 to 180 μg/ml. In axenic amastigotes cultured from a L. donovani strain 2001 responsible for visceral leishmaniasis, the IC50 was 6.0 μg/ml. AVL caused activation of host macrophages evident by an increased release of members of reactive oxygen species that was attenuated by preincubation with free radical scavengers. Collectively, our data indicates that AVL, via its direct leishmanicidal activity which can be further enhanced by activation of host macrophages, isan effective antileishmanial agent meriting further pharmacological
investigations
In vitro and in vivo activity of Aloe vera leaf exudate in experimental visceral leishmaniasis
The leishmanicidal activity of Aloe vera leaf
exudate (AVL) has been demonstrated in promastigotes and
axenic amastigotes, but its effectiveness in animal models
has not been evaluated. The presence of alkaloids,
triterpenes, cyanidines, proanthocyanidines, tannins, and
saponins in AVL was identified. Its effectiveness in four
Leishmania donovani strains was studied both in promastigotes
(IC50 ranged from 70–115 μg/ml) and amastigotes
(IC50 ranged from 3.1–11.4 μg/ml). In amastigotes, the killing by AVL was facilitated through its induction of
nitric oxide in leishmania-infected macrophages. The safety
index was good as AVL up to 300 μg/ml remained nontoxic
to monocytes and macrophages. In a L. donovani
BALB/c mouse model, oral or subcutaneous administration
of AVL (15 mg/kg body weight×5 days) reduced parasitemia
by >90% in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow
without impairment of hepatic and renal functions. Collectively,
we conclude that AVL shows promising antileishmanial
activity and may provide a new lead agent in the
treatment of Leishmaniasis