Dados do Trabalho

Título

Evidence of the potential therapeutic efficacy of a flavonoid derivative obtained from the Maclura tinctoria plant against visceral leishmaniasis.

Introdução

Leishmaniasis is a tropical disease complex caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania, which affect poorest populations in tropical and subtropical regions in the world, which visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is considered fatal if acute and left untreated. The current treatment presents limitations such as toxicity, high cost and parasitic resistance, making the search for new pharmacological therapies essential, with natural products being an important alternative.

Objetivo (s)

Thus, in the present study, the antileishmanial activity of a flavonoid called 5,7,3,4’- tetrahydroxy-6,8-diprenylisoflavone (CMt), extracted from Maclura tinctoria leaves, was evaluated against Leishmania infantum, considering that the flavonoid exhibited an effective in vitro biological action against L. infantum and L. amazonensis species.

Material e Métodos

The in vivo effect of CMt, free or incorporated in a micellar system (CMt/Mic), was evaluated in L. infantum-infected BALB/c mice (n=12 per group), by means of determination of the parasite load and immune response, one and 15 days after treatment.

Resultados e Conclusão

CMt or CMt/Mic were able to reduce the parasite burden in distinct organs of the animals, moreover Th1-type immune response was developed in both periods, being based on high IFN-γ, IL-12, GM-CSF and IgG2a levels. Furthermore, higher IFN-γ, IL-10 and TNF-α-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell frequency was observed in the treated mice, especially, with CMt/Mic. In conclusion, CMt could be considered as a therapeutic target in future studies for the treatment against leishmaniasis.

Palavras-chave

leishmaniasis, treatment, flavonoids, delivery systems, immune response.

Agradecimentos

CAPES, CNPq and FAPEMIG.