Open Access
Research (Published online: 19-10-2020)
19. Antileishmanial and cytotoxic activities of four Andean plant extracts from Colombia
Wilson Cardona-G, Sara Robledo, Fernando Alzate, Andrés F. Yepes, Cristian Hernandez, Ivan Dario Velez, Juan Carlos Calderon and Isabel Vásquez Tabares
Veterinary World, 13(10): 2178-2182

Wilson Cardona-G: Chemistry of Colombian Plants, Institute of Chemistry, Natural and Exact Sciences Faculty, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.
Sara Robledo: Group of Botanical Studies, Institute of Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Faculty, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.
Fernando Alzate: PECET, Medical Research Institute, School of Medicine, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.
Andrés F. Yepes: Chemistry of Colombian Plants, Institute of Chemistry, Natural and Exact Sciences Faculty, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.
Cristian Hernandez: Chemistry of Colombian Plants, Institute of Chemistry, Natural and Exact Sciences Faculty, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.
Ivan Dario Velez: Group of Botanical Studies, Institute of Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Faculty, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.
Juan Carlos Calderon: Chemistry of Colombian Plants, Institute of Chemistry, Natural and Exact Sciences Faculty, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.
Isabel Vásquez Tabares: Chemistry of Colombian Plants, Institute of Chemistry, Natural and Exact Sciences Faculty, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia.

doi: www.doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2020.2178-2182

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Article history: Received: 17-06-2020, Accepted: 11-09-2020, Published online: 19-10-2020

Corresponding author: Wilson Cardona-G

E-mail: wilson.cardona1@udea.edu.co

Citation: Cardona-G W, Robledo S, Alzate F, Yepes AF, Hernandez C, Velez ID, Calderon JC, Tabares IV (2020) Antileishmanial and cytotoxic activities of four Andean plant extracts from Colombia, Veterinary World, 13(10): 2178-2182.
Abstract

Background and Aim: Licania salicifolia (L.S) Cuatrec., Persea ferruginea (P.F) Kunth, Oreopanax floribundus (O.F), and Psychotria buchtienii (P.B) belong to the families Chrysobalanaceae, Lauraceae, Araliaceae, and Rubiaceae, respectively, which have been used as medicines by communities in the Andes. This study evaluated the leishmanicidal and cytotoxic activities of alcohol and non-alcohol extracts from four Andean plant extracts (L.S, O.F, P.F, and P.B).

Materials and Methods: Extracts were obtained by percolation with solvents of different polarities – hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and ethanol. Phytochemical screening was conducted based on reported methods. All products were evaluated in vitro to determine the leishmanicidal activity against amastigotes of Leishmania panamensis and cytotoxicity against U937 cells.

Results: Flavonoids, triterpenes, and tannins were the main secondary metabolites found. From the results, dichloromethane extracts from O.F and P.B, ethanol extract from P.B, and ethyl acetate extracts of all plants were active, with EC50 <30 μg/mL. Ethyl acetate was the most active extract, which showed EC50 values of 9.8, 14.1, 23.7, and 25.5 μg/mL, for L.S, P.B, O.F, and P.F, respectively. Hexane extracts from P.B and O.F exhibited moderate activity with EC50 values of 84.8 and 87.4 μg/mL, respectively. Hexane and ethanol extracts from O.F, ethyl acetate, and ethanol extracts from L.S, and all extracts from P.F were not toxic. Alternatively, hexane and dichloromethane extracts from L.S and P.B as well as dichloromethane and ethyl acetate extracts from O.F displayed high toxicity.

Conclusion: Based on the activity we observed, ethyl acetate extract can continue in its usage in the search for new antileishmanial drugs, mainly ethyl acetate extract from L.S showed activity comparable to meglumine antimoniate and was not cytotoxic.

Keywords: Araliaceae, Chrysobalanaceae, Lauraceae, Rubiaceae, Leishmaniasis, Licania salicifolia, Oreopanax floribundus, Persea ferruginea, Psychotria buchtienii.