In Vitro Anti- Activity of Extracts Obtained from and : The Role of β-Amyrin.

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan that is highly prevalent worldwide. Although the infection is asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, it severely affects immunocompromised individuals, causing conditions such as encephalitis, myocarditis, or pneumonitis. The limited therapeutic efficacy of drugs currently used to treat toxoplasmosis has prompted the search for new therapeutic alternatives. The aim of this study was to determine the anti- activity of extracts obtained from two species of the genus . Twenty-six extracts, 12 obtained from and 14 from , were evaluated by a colorimetric technique using the RH strain of that expresses β-galactosidase. Additionally, the activity of the promising extracts and their active compounds was evaluated by flow cytometry. β-amyrin was isolated from the chloroform extract obtained from the leaves of and displayed important anti- activity. The results show that natural products are an important source of new molecules with considerable biological and/or pharmacological activity.