Aublet (Andiroba) Seed Oil: Chemical Composition and Antileishmanial Activity of Limonoid-Rich Fractions.

Leishmaniasis is a complex of diseases caused by protozoa of the genus and affects millions of people around the world. Several species of plants are used by traditional communities for the treatment of this disease, among which is Aubl. (Meliaceae), popularly known as andiroba. The objective of the present work was to conduct a chemical study of seed oil and its limonoid-rich fractions, with the aim of identifying its secondary metabolites, particularly the limonoids, in addition to investigating its anti- potential. The chemical analyses of the seed oil and fractions were obtained by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). The cytotoxic activity was tested against peritoneal macrophages, and antileishmanial activity was evaluated against promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of . All the seed oil samples analyzed exhibited the same pattern of fatty acids, while the limonoids 7-deacetoxy-7-hydroxygedunin, deacetyldihydrogedunin, deoxygedunin, andirobin, gedunin, 11-hydroxygedunin, 17-glycolyldeoxygedunin, 6-acetoxygedunin, and 6,11-diacetoxygedunin were identified in the limonoid-rich fractions of the oil. The seed oil did not exhibit antileishmanial activity, and cytotoxicity was higher than 1000 g/mL. Three limonoid-rich oil fractions demonstrated activity against promastigotes (IC of 10.53±0.050, 25.3±0.057, and 56.9±0.043g/mL) and intracellular amastigotes (IC of 27.31±0.091, 78.42±0.086, and 352.2±0.145 g/mL) of , as well as cytotoxicity against peritoneal macrophages (CC of 78.55±1.406, 139.0±1.523, and 607.7±1.217 g/mL). The anti- activity of the limonoid-rich fractions of can be attributed to the limonoids 11-hydroxygedunin and 6,11-diacetoxygedunin detected in the chemical analysis.