The essential oil from (EOLO) is employed in traditional medicine as it has both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. The current investigation first evaluated the EOLO's cytotoxic activity in tumour (SiHa and HT-29) and non-tumour (human lymphocyte) cells by MTT. The effect on ROS production was further evaluated in cancer cells by fluorimetry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the largest pandemic in modern history with very high infection rates and considerable mortality. The disease, which emerged in China's Wuhan province, had its first reported case on December 29, 2019, and spread rapidly worldwide. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic and global health emergency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Pharmacol
June 2019
Leishmania parasites infect macrophages causing a wide spectrum of human diseases encompassing from cutaneous to visceral forms. The drugs currently used in leishmaniasis treatment are highly toxic and associated with acquired resistance. Seeking novel therapeutic targets, we conducted a comprehensive in vitro study to investigate the action of trans-chalcone (TC) against Leishmania amazonensis promastigote and amastigote forms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite many efforts, the currently available treatments for leishmaniasis are not fully effective. To discover new medications, drug repurposing arises as a promising strategy. We present data that supports the use of the antidepressant clomipramine against Leishmania amazonensis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Trop
February 2018
American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL) is a zoonosis caused by Leishmania protozoa. The ACL chemotherapy available is unsatisfactory motivating researches to seek alternative treatments. In this study, we investigated the action of biogenic silver nanoparticle (AgNp-bio) obtained from Fusarium oxysporium, against Leishmania amazonensis promastigote and amastigote forms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeishmaniasis is a disease caused by hemoflagellate protozoa, affecting millions of people worldwide. The difficulties of treating patients with this parasitosis include the limited efficacy and many side effects of the currently available drugs. Therefore, the search for new compounds with leishmanicidal action is necessary.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Current therapies mainly rely on antimonial drugs that are inadequate because of their high toxicity and increased drug resistance. An urgent need exists to discover new, more effective, more affordable, and more target-specific drugs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChagas' disease is an infection that is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, affecting millions of people worldwide. Because of severe side effects and variable efficacy, the current treatments for Chagas' disease are unsatisfactory, making the search for new chemotherapeutic agents essential. Previous studies have reported various biological activities of naphthoquinones, such as the trypanocidal and antitumor activity of vitamin K3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSodium heparin (HS) was immobilized on the surface of the silk fibroin nanofibers (FS) prepared by electrospinning with the objective of improving the hemocompatibility of the fibers for application as scaffolds in tissue engineering. The nanofiber mats of silk fibroin without (MF-FS) and with (MF-FS/HS) immobilized heparin were characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), contact angle, chemical analysis, and biological tests. The formation of hydrogen bonds between the silk fibroin and heparin was discussed based on FTIR-ATR spectra.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chagas' disease is a condition caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi that affects millions of people, mainly in Latin America where it is considered endemic. The chemotherapy for Chagas disease remains a problem; the standard treatment currently relies on a single drug, benznidazole, which unfortunately induces several side effects and it is not successful in the cure of most of the chronic patients. In order to improve the drug armamentarium against Chagas' disease, in the present study we describe the synthesis of the compound 3-chloro-7-methoxy-2-(methylsulfonyl) quinoxaline (quinoxaline 4) and its activity, alone or in combination with benznidazole, against Trypanosoma cruzi in vitro.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChem Pharm Bull (Tokyo)
April 2013
A series of novel benzo[4,5]canthin-6-ones, bearing the N'-(substituted benzylidene)-carbohydrazide (11a-e) and N-alkylcarboxamide (13a-g) moieties at position-2, were synthesized and screened for their in vitro antitumor activity, against seven human cancer cell lines, and for antitrypanosomal and antileishmanial activities against Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania amazonensis. The results indicated that N-methylpiperazyl-6-oxobenzo[4,5]canthine-2-carboxamide (13f) displayed potent antitumor activity with IC(50) values in the range of 1.15-8.
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