Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, and is considered a public health problem. The current treatments for this disease are the synthetic drugs nifurtimox and benzonidazol, which are highly toxic. Pityrogramma calomelanos, a plant used in traditional medicine as an astringent, analgesic, anti-hemorrhagic, pectoral depurative, emmenagogue, anti-hypertensive, anti-pyretic and an anti-tussive was tested for antiepimastigote activity in vitro. An ethanol extract and hexane fraction of P. calomelanos was prepared and tested against T. cruzi (CL-B5 clone). The effective concentration capable of killing 50% of parasites (EC50) was 55.26 µg/mL and 73.57 µg/mL for the ethanol extract and hexane fraction, respectively. This is the first record of tripanocidal activity for P. calomelanos. Our results indicate that P. calomelanos could be a source of antiepimastigote natural products with only moderate toxicity toward healthy human cells.
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1 July 2012
Cytotoxic and Tripanocide Activities of Pityrogramma calomelanos (L.) Link
Teogenes M. de Souza,
Maria F. B. M. Braga,
Rogério A. Saraiva,
Pablo A. Nogara,
Diones C. Bueno,
Aline A. Boligon,
Margareth L. A. Fone,
João B. T. da Rocha,
Miriam Rolon,
Celeste Vega,
Antonieta Rojas de Arias,
Jose G. M. Costa,
Irwin R. Alencar de Menezes,
Henrique D. M. Coutinho,
Antônio A. F. Saraiva
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American Fern Journal
Vol. 102 • No. 3
July 2012
Vol. 102 • No. 3
July 2012
Antiepimastigote activity
Chagas disease
cytotoxicity
Pityrogramma calomelanos
