Efficacy of components from leaves of Calophyllum brasiliense against Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis

Honda, P.A.; Ferreira, I.C.P.; Cortez, D.A.G.; Amado, C.A.B.; Silveira, T.G.V.; Brenzan, M.A.; Lonardoni, M.V.C.

doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2009.08.011

« Previous Next »Phytomedicine
Volume 17, Issue 5 , Pages 333-338, April 2010

Efficacy of components from leaves of Calophyllum brasiliense against Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis

P.A. Honda
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo 5790, 87020-900 Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
I.C.P. Ferreira
- Departamento de Farmácia e Farmacologia da Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
D.A.G. Cortez
- Departamento de Farmácia e Farmacologia da Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
C.A.B. Amado
- Departamento de Farmácia e Farmacologia da Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
T.G.V. Silveira
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo 5790, 87020-900 Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
M.A. Brenzan
- Departamento de Farmácia e Farmacologia da Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
M.V.C. Lonardoni
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Avenida Colombo 5790, 87020-900 Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +55442614878; fax: +554432614860.

published online 05 October 2009.

Abstract

Leishmanicide potential of Calophyllum brasiliense leaves on promastigote and amastigote of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis is evaluated. The LD₅₀ of dichloromethane extract and hexane fraction for promastigotes was respectively 40μg/ml and 20μg/ml. In mouse peritoneal macrophages infected with Leishmania amastigotes the Infection Index decreased respectively 100% and 84.2% in 80μg/ml and 40μg/ml concentrations of dichloromethane extract. Hexane fraction decreased infection index respectively by 98.7% and 91.3% within the same concentrations. It was found that pretreatment with dichloromethane extract or with hexane fraction of experimentally infected BALB/c mice decrease the volume of the lesions by L. (L.) amazonensis. Moreover, animals treated topically also revealed healing lesions. Besides, the parasite load in the animals’ popliteal lymph nodes was significantly reduced in treated animals, showing that plant components actually control infection. Results show that crude extract and hexane fraction of C. brasiliense reveal a significant in vitro and in vivo leishmanicide activity.