Leishmanicidal Activity and Ultrastructural Changes of Maslinic Acid Isolated from Hyptidendron canum

Author(s)

Adriana Jesus, Jessica ^[1] ; Laurenti, Marcia Dalastra ^[1] ; Lopes Silva, Matheus ^[2] ; Ghilardi Lago, Joao Henrique ^[2] ; Domingues Passero, Luiz Felipe ^{[3, 4]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Med Sch, Dept Pathol, Lab Pathol Infect Dis LIM50, Av Dr Arnaldo 455, BR-01246903 Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[2] Fed Univ ABC UFABC, Ctr Nat & Human Sci, BR-09210580 Santo Andre, SP - Brazil

^[3] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Inst Biosci, Sao Vicente Praca Infante Dom Henrique S-N, BR-11330900 Sao Vicente, SP - Brazil

^[4] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Inst Adv Studies Ocean, Sao Vicente Joao Francisco Bensdorp 1178, BR-11350011 Sao Vicente, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine; v. 2021, MAY 31 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

The therapeutic arsenal for the treatment of leishmaniasis is limited and has serious obstacles, such as variable activity, high toxicity, and costs. To overcome such limitations, it becomes urgent to characterize new bioactive molecules. Plants produce and accumulate different classes of bioactive compounds, and these molecules can be studied as a strategy to combat leishmaniasis. The study presented herein evaluated the leishmanicidal effect of maslinic acid isolated from the leaves of Hyptidendron canum (Lamiaceae) and investigated the morphological that occurred on Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum upon treatment. Maslinic acid was active and selective against promastigote and amastigote forms in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, it was not toxic to peritoneal macrophages isolated from golden hamsters, while miltefosine and amphotericin B showed mild toxicity for macrophages. Morphological changes in prom astigotes of L. (L.) infantum treated with maslinic acid were related to cytoplasmic degeneration, intense exocytic activity, and blebbing in the kDNA; disruption of mitochondrial cristae was observed in some parasites. The nucleus of promastigote forms seems to be degraded and the chromatin fragmented, suggesting that maslinic acid triggers programmed cell death. These results indicate that maslinic acid may be an interesting molecule to develop new classes of drugs against leishmaniasis. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/10324-6 - Lipid nanoparticles as carriers of triterpenes for the treatment of Experimental Visceral Leishmaniasis
• Grantee: Jéssica Adriana de Jesus
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 16/00468-0 - Use of drug repurposing and natural product bioprospection to characterize compounds with in vitro and in vivo leishmanicidal action
• Grantee: Luiz Felipe Domingues Passero
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 21/02789-7 - Search for bioactive metabolites with antiparasitic action in plant species from Atlantic Forest and Cerrado regions - a chemical, phenotypical, and metabolomic approach
• Grantee: João Henrique Ghilardi Lago
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/04080-2 - Preparation and physical chemical characterization of lipid nanoparticles as carriers of triterpenes for the treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis.
• Grantee: Jéssica Adriana de Jesus
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate