Aspidosperma (Apocynaceae) plant cytotoxicity and activity towards malaria parasites. Part I: aspidosperma nitidum (Benth) used as a remedy to treat fever and malaria in the Amazon
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2013-12
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Infusions of Aspidosperma nitidum (Apocynaceae) wood bark are used to treat fever and malaria in the Amazon
Region. Several species of this family are known to possess indole alkaloids and other classes of secondary me tabolites, whereas terpenoids, an inositol and the indole alkaloids harmane-3 acid and braznitidumine have been
described in A. nitidum. In the present study, extracts from the wood bark, leaves and branches of this species were
prepared for assays against malaria parasites and cytotoxicity testing using human hepatoma and normal monkey
kidney cells. The wood bark extracts were active against Plasmodium falciparum and showed a low cytotoxicity in
vitro, whereas the leaf and branch extracts and the pure alkaloid braznitidumine were inactive. A crude methanol
extract was subjected to acid-base fractionation aimed at obtaining alkaloid-rich fractions, which were active at
low concentrations against P. falciparum and in mice infected with and sensitive Plasmodium berghei parasites. Our
data validate the antimalarial usefulness of A. nitidum wood bark, a remedy that can most likely help to control
malaria. However, the molecules responsible for this antimalarial activity have not yet been identified. Considering
their high selectivity index, the alkaloid-rich fractions from the plant bark might be useful in the development of new
antimalarials
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Aspidosperma nitidum, Selectivity index, Medicinal plants, Plasmodium falciparum, Human malaria
Citação
COUTINHO, Julia Penna et al. Aspidosperma (Apocynaceae) plant cytotoxicity and activity towards malaria parasites. Part I: aspidosperma nitidum (Benth) used as a remedy to treat fever and malaria in the Amazon. Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, v. 108, n. 8, p. 974-982, Dec. 2013.