Planta Med 2012; 78 - PD155
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1320513

Trypanocidal activity of fruits extracts of Solanum lycocarpum St. Hill. on Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma brucei strains

GZ Martins 1, 2, NO Magalhães 1, FAJ Silva 1, AMA Velásquez 1, 3, DF Rodrigues 1, 3, AAN Kohatsu 1, CS Planeta 1, RMB Cicarelli 1, RRD Moreira 1
  • 1Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
  • 3Institute of Chemical – UNESP – Univ. Estadual Paulista, Rod. Araraquara-Jaú, Km 1, 14801–902, Araraquara-SP, Brazil
  • 2University Center of Fundação Educacional de Barretos – UNIFEB, Av. Roberto Frade Monte, 389, 14783–226, Barretos-SP, Brazil

Solasonine (Sn) and solamargine (Sg) glycoalkaloids are the major compounds responsible for the biological effects of the fruits of Solanum lycocarpum. Chagas disease and sleeping sickness are caused by protozoan T. cruzi and T. brucei, respectively. The drugs used to both treatments presented hard side effects; so, the search for natural products is also interesting. The present investigation evaluated the possible trypanocidal activity. For this purpose, S. lycocarpum fruits powder were submitted to exhaustively extraction with 96% ethanol isolating the glycoalkaloids and also six hexanic fractions, which were analyzed in vitro by MTT assay in epimastigote forms of T. cruzi (Y strain) and procyclic forms of T. brucei (427 strain), using benznidazole and pentamidine, respectively, as positive control. The results showed that the ethanolic extract and two hexanic fractions presented activity in both trypanosomes. Sn did not show any activity in both parasites and Sg had activity only in T. cruzi strain. However, Sn+Sg (1:1) not improve the trypanocidal activity.

Acknowledgements: FAPESP, CAPES, CNPq, UNIFEB by the financial support.