Search for antiprotozoal compounds in Mikania periplocifolia

LAURELLA CECILIA; ELSO ORLANDO; FERNANDA FRANK; BEER F.; MARTINO, VIRGINIA; CAZORLA, S.; MALCHIODI, E; SULSEN, VALERIA; ALONSO MARÍA ROSARIO

Mar del Plata

Congreso; X Congreso Argentino de Protozoología y Enfermedades Parasitarias; 2014

Sociedad Agentina de Protozoologia

Chagas´ disease and Leishmaniasis are protozoan diseases that cause significant morbidity and mortality. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) they are considered, among others, as Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) affecting mainly poor people throughout developing countries. Chagas´ disease or American Trypanosomiasis and Leishmaniasis are caused by the protozoan parasites Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp., respectively. These parasitosis are endemic in Argentina, where people co-infected with both parasites are commonly found. Nature has provided useful antiparasitic drugs such as artemisinin and chloroquine, within others. We have previously reported the antiprotozoal activity of the organic extract of Mikania periplocifolia. In this sense, the aim of the present work was to isolate the antiprotozoal compounds from M. periplocifolia.  The organic extract of M. periplocifolia was fractionated by Silicagel column chromatography. A yellow powder, namely compound A, precipitated from fractions eluted with CH2Cl2: EtOAc (3:1). Chromatographic behavior and UV analysis of compound A indicated that it could be a tetrasubstituted flavone with a free 5 OH group. This compound was evaluated against T. cruzi epimastigotes and L. braziliensis promastigotes by the thymidine uptake technique. Compound A showed trypanocidal and leishmanicidal activity with IC50 values of 4.10 µg/ml and 1.18 µg/ml respectively and presented a CC50 value of 519.11 µg/ml when tested on mammalian cells. These findings prompt us to continue with the study of the antiprotozoal activity of compound A and with the search of other bioactive compounds in M. periplocifolia organic extract.