POTENTIAL OF COLOMBIAN AMAZON PLANT EXTRACTS BASED ON THE IN VITRO INHIBITION OF GIARDIA LAMBLIA TROPHOZOITES

TARRUELLA, JA; GARCÍA-BUSTOS, JJ; LUNA PIZARRO, G; CARO, JL; SALAZAR ZAFFARONI, MF; CASARSA, BS; JORAY, MB; TOUZ, MC; LAIOLO, JERÓNIMO

Mar del Plata

Congreso; Reunión Anual de Sociedades de Biociencias; 2023

Giardiasis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Giardia lamblia and is one of the main causes of diarrheal diseases worldwide resulting from the consumption of food and water contaminated with this parasite. Currently, exist eight genotypes (A-H) but only two of them—genotype A (including different strains like strain WB) and genotype B—have the capability to infect humans. The primary drugs used globally for treatment belong to the 5-nitroimidazole family, including metronidazole (MTZ) and tinidazole. However, a therapeutic failure rate of up to 20% has been observed, along with cross-resistance between different therapeutic agents. This study aimed to evaluate extracts of native plants from the Amazon region in Colombia with the primary goal of identifying new sources of active compounds capable of inhibiting the in vitro growth of G. lambliatrophozoites. In an initial stage, the giardicidal action of 17 extracts (at a concentration of 500 μg/mL) was analyzed on the WB/1267 strain. Those extracts demonstrating favorable biological activity underwent calculations to determine their half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). Among these, the extracts from Astrocaryum chambira, Attalea butyracea, and Bactris gassipae stood out, presenting IC50 values of 133.4±43.5 μg/mL, 93.1±31.6 μg/mL, and 332.1±62.9 μg/mL, respectively. A synergism test was also conducted using MTZ in combination with the extracts of interest. The IC50 of these extracts was computed for MTZ-resistant WB/1267 strains and GS/H7 (genotypeB), encompassing both the original strains and MTZ-resistant strains. This study contributes to the potential expansion of treatment options for giardiasis by identifying novel plant extracts withpromising inhibitory effects on G. lamblia. The findings hint at the possibility of developing alternative therapies to address the challenges posed by therapeutic resistance in combating this parasitic disease.