Aspidosperma pyrifolium, a medicinal plant from the Brazilian caatinga, displays a high antiplasmodial activity and low cytotoxicity
Abstract Background Several species of Aspidosperma plants are referred to as remedies for the treatment of malaria, especially Aspidosperma nitidum. Aspidosperma pyrifolium, also a medicinal plant, is used as a natural anti-inflammatory. Its fractionated extracts were assayed in vitro for activity...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:17b452094568413093270774c4c59828 2023-05-15T15:16:33+02:00 Aspidosperma pyrifolium, a medicinal plant from the Brazilian caatinga, displays a high antiplasmodial activity and low cytotoxicity Isabela P. Ceravolo Carlos L. Zani Flávio J. B. Figueiredo Markus Kohlhoff Antônio E. G. Santana Antoniana U. Krettli 2018-11-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-018-2568-y https://doaj.org/article/17b452094568413093270774c4c59828 EN eng BMC http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12936-018-2568-y https://doaj.org/toc/1475-2875 doi:10.1186/s12936-018-2568-y 1475-2875 https://doaj.org/article/17b452094568413093270774c4c59828 Malaria Journal, Vol 17, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2018) Aspidosperma pyrifolium Plasmodium falciparum Ethnopharmacology Medicinal plants Anti-malarial Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 article 2018 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-018-2568-y 2022-12-31T05:38:49Z Abstract Background Several species of Aspidosperma plants are referred to as remedies for the treatment of malaria, especially Aspidosperma nitidum. Aspidosperma pyrifolium, also a medicinal plant, is used as a natural anti-inflammatory. Its fractionated extracts were assayed in vitro for activity against malaria parasites and for cytotoxicity. Methods Aspidosperma pyrifolium activity was evaluated against Plasmodium falciparum using extracts in vitro. Toxicity towards human hepatoma cells, monkey kidney cells or human monocytes freshly isolated from peripheral blood was also assessed. Anti-malarial activity of selected extracts and fractions that presented in vitro activity were tested in mice with a Plasmodium berghei blood-induced infection. Results The crude stem bark extract and the alkaloid-rich and ethyl acetate fractions from stem extract showed in vitro activity. None of the crude extracts or fractions was cytotoxic to normal monkey kidney and to a human hepatoma cell lines, or human peripheral blood mononuclear cells; the MDL50 values of all the crude bark extracts and fractions were similar or better when tested on normal cells, with the exception of organic and alkaloidic-rich fractions from stem extract. Two extracts and two fractions tested in vivo caused a significant reduction of P. berghei parasitaemia in experimentally infected mice. Conclusion Considering the high therapeutic index of the alkaloidic-rich fraction from stem extract of A. pyrifolium, it makes the species a candidate for further investigation aiming to produce a new anti-malarial, especially considering that the active extract has no toxicity, i.e., no mutagenic effects in the genototoxicity assays, and that it has an in vivo anti-malarial effect. In its UPLC-HRMS analysis this fraction was shown to have two major components compatible with the bisindole alkaloid Leucoridine B, and a novel compound, which is likely to be responsible for the activity against malaria parasites demonstrated in in vitro tests. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Malaria Journal 17 1 |
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Aspidosperma pyrifolium Plasmodium falciparum Ethnopharmacology Medicinal plants Anti-malarial Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
spellingShingle |
Aspidosperma pyrifolium Plasmodium falciparum Ethnopharmacology Medicinal plants Anti-malarial Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 Isabela P. Ceravolo Carlos L. Zani Flávio J. B. Figueiredo Markus Kohlhoff Antônio E. G. Santana Antoniana U. Krettli Aspidosperma pyrifolium, a medicinal plant from the Brazilian caatinga, displays a high antiplasmodial activity and low cytotoxicity |
topic_facet |
Aspidosperma pyrifolium Plasmodium falciparum Ethnopharmacology Medicinal plants Anti-malarial Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
description |
Abstract Background Several species of Aspidosperma plants are referred to as remedies for the treatment of malaria, especially Aspidosperma nitidum. Aspidosperma pyrifolium, also a medicinal plant, is used as a natural anti-inflammatory. Its fractionated extracts were assayed in vitro for activity against malaria parasites and for cytotoxicity. Methods Aspidosperma pyrifolium activity was evaluated against Plasmodium falciparum using extracts in vitro. Toxicity towards human hepatoma cells, monkey kidney cells or human monocytes freshly isolated from peripheral blood was also assessed. Anti-malarial activity of selected extracts and fractions that presented in vitro activity were tested in mice with a Plasmodium berghei blood-induced infection. Results The crude stem bark extract and the alkaloid-rich and ethyl acetate fractions from stem extract showed in vitro activity. None of the crude extracts or fractions was cytotoxic to normal monkey kidney and to a human hepatoma cell lines, or human peripheral blood mononuclear cells; the MDL50 values of all the crude bark extracts and fractions were similar or better when tested on normal cells, with the exception of organic and alkaloidic-rich fractions from stem extract. Two extracts and two fractions tested in vivo caused a significant reduction of P. berghei parasitaemia in experimentally infected mice. Conclusion Considering the high therapeutic index of the alkaloidic-rich fraction from stem extract of A. pyrifolium, it makes the species a candidate for further investigation aiming to produce a new anti-malarial, especially considering that the active extract has no toxicity, i.e., no mutagenic effects in the genototoxicity assays, and that it has an in vivo anti-malarial effect. In its UPLC-HRMS analysis this fraction was shown to have two major components compatible with the bisindole alkaloid Leucoridine B, and a novel compound, which is likely to be responsible for the activity against malaria parasites demonstrated in in vitro tests. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Isabela P. Ceravolo Carlos L. Zani Flávio J. B. Figueiredo Markus Kohlhoff Antônio E. G. Santana Antoniana U. Krettli |
author_facet |
Isabela P. Ceravolo Carlos L. Zani Flávio J. B. Figueiredo Markus Kohlhoff Antônio E. G. Santana Antoniana U. Krettli |
author_sort |
Isabela P. Ceravolo |
title |
Aspidosperma pyrifolium, a medicinal plant from the Brazilian caatinga, displays a high antiplasmodial activity and low cytotoxicity |
title_short |
Aspidosperma pyrifolium, a medicinal plant from the Brazilian caatinga, displays a high antiplasmodial activity and low cytotoxicity |
title_full |
Aspidosperma pyrifolium, a medicinal plant from the Brazilian caatinga, displays a high antiplasmodial activity and low cytotoxicity |
title_fullStr |
Aspidosperma pyrifolium, a medicinal plant from the Brazilian caatinga, displays a high antiplasmodial activity and low cytotoxicity |
title_full_unstemmed |
Aspidosperma pyrifolium, a medicinal plant from the Brazilian caatinga, displays a high antiplasmodial activity and low cytotoxicity |
title_sort |
aspidosperma pyrifolium, a medicinal plant from the brazilian caatinga, displays a high antiplasmodial activity and low cytotoxicity |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-018-2568-y https://doaj.org/article/17b452094568413093270774c4c59828 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
Malaria Journal, Vol 17, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2018) |
op_relation |
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12936-018-2568-y https://doaj.org/toc/1475-2875 doi:10.1186/s12936-018-2568-y 1475-2875 https://doaj.org/article/17b452094568413093270774c4c59828 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-018-2568-y |
container_title |
Malaria Journal |
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17 |
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1 |
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1766346848618938368 |