Trypanocidal activity of extracts of Argentinean Asteraceae species

SELENER M.; CAZORLA S.; ELSO O.; FRANK F.; BEER MF.; LAURELLA L.; MALCHIODI E.; GIBERTI G.; MARTINO V.; SÜLSEN V.

Puerto Varas

Congreso; 14thInternational Congress of Ethnopharmacology VIIISimposio Internacional de Química de productos naturales y sus aplicaciones; 2014

Sociedad latinoamericana de fitoquimica

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzí, ís a serious heafth problem mainly in Latín America. According to the World Health Organization, this parasitosis affects 7-8 million people worldwide [1J. Treatment ís limited to two drugs, nifurtímox and benznidazole,that are effective only on acute Chagas´ disease and have serious side effects. Natural products have provided useful drugs that are used nowadays to treat different health problems. Asteraceae species have been a rich source of active compounds and have been attractive for drug discovery.       In this sense, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the trypanocidal activity ofdichloromethane and methanol extracts of twelve Argentinean Asteraceae species onepimastigotes of T. cruzi (RA straín). Oíchloromethane extracts of Aspilia sulphioides, Viguiera tuberosa, Verbesina subeordata, Gymnocoronis spilanthoides, Gaillardia megapotamica,Thelesperma megapotamicum and Zexmenia buphtalmiflora were active against T. cruzi with inhibítions higher than 60% at a concentration of 10 JJg/mL Only the methanolic extracts of Helenium radiatum and G. meaaIJotamica have shown trypanocidal activitv (inhibitions of 70.1 and77.7%, respectively at 10 jJg/mL). These results encourage further investigation of Asteraceae species as source of lead molecules forChagas´ disease.