Leishmaniasis is a public health problem in tropical and subtropical areas of the world, including Venezuela. The incidence of treatment failure and the number of cases with Leishmania-HIV co-infection underscore the importance of developing alternative, economical and effective therapies against this disease. The work presented here analyzed whether terpenoids derived from betulin are active against New World Leishmania parasites. Initially we determined the concentration that inhibits the growth of these parasites by 50% or IC50, and subsequently evaluated the chemotactic effect of four compounds with leishmanicidal activity in the sub-micromolar and micromolar range. That is, we measured the migratory capacity of Leishmania (V.) braziliensis in the presence of increasing concentrations of compounds. Finally, we evaluated their cytotoxicity against the host cell and their effect on the infectivity of L. (V.) braziliensis. The results suggest that (1) compounds 14, 17, 18, 25 and 27 are active at concentrations lower than 10 μM; (2) compound 26 inhibits parasite growth with an IC50 lower than 1 μM; (3) compounds 18, 26 and 27 inhibit parasite migration at pico- to nanomolar concentrations, suggesting that they impair host-parasite interaction. None of the tested compounds was cytotoxic against J774.A1 macrophages thus indicating their potential as starting points to develop compounds that might affect parasite-host cell interaction, as well as being leishmanicidal.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bmc.2014.08.023 | DOI Listing |
Exp Parasitol
January 2025
Grupo de Química Orgánica de Productos Naturales, Instituto de Química, Universidad de Antioquia-UdeA. Calle 70 # 52-21, Medellín, Colombia. Electronic address:
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease are neglected tropical diseases that affect millions worldwide. Despite the high morbidity associated with these infections, current treatments are often highly toxic and are showing diminishing efficacy. Thus, new therapeutic options are urgently needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Departamento de Salud Pública, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
Background: Mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) is a severe clinical form of leishmaniasis that is characterized by the destruction of the nasal and/or the oral mucosae and appears as a late complication in 5% to 10% of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) cases produced by species belonging to Leishmania (Viannia) subgenus. Some strains of Leishmania spp. carry an RNA virus known as Leishmania RNA virus (LRV) that may contribute to the appearance of ML.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Parasitol
January 2025
Grupo de Enfermedades Infecciosas Facultad de Ciencias Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Bogotá Colombia. Electronic address:
Bats play crucial roles in various ecosystems including caves. Although the presence of trypanosomatid species in bats has been documented in Colombia, their diversity in cave-dwelling bats remains unclear. This study aimed to characterize the frequency and diversity of protists from the family Trypanosomatidae circulating in bats from the Macaregua cave ecosystem in Santander, Colombia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParasite Immunol
January 2025
Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil.
Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis causes cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. Macrophages are host cells for parasite replication and act as effector cells against the parasite. The two main macrophage phenotypes (M1 and M2) and their polarisation states have been implicated in Leishmania infection despite scarce data on L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecules
January 2025
Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa 04000, Peru.
Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease caused by species, presents serious public health challenges due to limited treatment options, toxicity, high costs, and drug resistance. In this study, the in vitro potential of malvidin and echioidinin is examined as antileishmanial agents against , , and , comparing their effects to amphotericin B (AmpB), a standard drug. Malvidin demonstrated greater potency than echioidinin across all parasite stages and species.
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