Anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity of alkaloids isolated from Habranthus brachyandrus (Amaryllidaceae) from Argentina

Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects over six million people worldwide, mainly in Latin American countries. Currently available drugs have variable efficacy in the chronic phase and significant side effects, so there is an urgent need for safer chemotherapeutic treatment...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martinez-Peinado, Nieves, Ortiz, Javier E., Cortes Serra, Núria, Pinazo, Maria-Jesus, Gascon, Joaquim, Tapia, Alejandro, Roitman, German, Bastida Armengol, Jaume, Feresin, Gabriela E., Alonso Padilla, Julio
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/186647
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/186647
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Malaltia de Chagas
Alcaloides
Chagas' disease
Alkaloids
Descripción
Sumario:Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects over six million people worldwide, mainly in Latin American countries. Currently available drugs have variable efficacy in the chronic phase and significant side effects, so there is an urgent need for safer chemotherapeutic treatments. Natural products provide privileged structures that could serve as templates for the synthesis of new drugs. Among them, Amaryllidaceae plants have proved to be a potential natural source of therapeutical agents due to their rich diversity in alkaloids.To identify alkaloids with anti-T. cruzi activity from Habranthus brachyandrus (Baker) Sealy (Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Amaryllidoideae) collected in Argentina.An H. brachyandrus alkaloid extract was tested against T. cruzi, and its cytotoxicity profile was evaluated against two mammalian cell lines to ascertain its selectivity against the parasite and potential liver toxicity. It was also assessed by a stage-specific anti-amastigote assay and analysed by GC/MS to determine its alkaloid profile. The isolated alkaloids were also tested using the aforementioned assays.The extract showed high and specific activity against T. cruzi. The alkaloids lycoramine, galanthindole, 8-O-demethylmaritidine, 8-O-demethylhomolycorine, nerinine, trisphaeridine, deoxytazettine, and tazettamide were identified by means of GC-MS. In addition, hippeastidine (also named aulicine), tazzetine, ismine, and 3-epimacronine were isolated. The alkaloid ismine was specifically active against the parasite and had low toxicity against HepG2 cells, but did not show anti-amastigote activity.The extract had specific anti-T. cruzi activity and the isolated alkaloid ismine was partially responsible of it. These results encourage further exploration of H. brachyandrus alkaloids in search of novel starting points for Chagas disease drug development.Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier GmbH.