Antileishmanial Activity of a Calophyllum brasiliense Leaf Extract

Abstract

Calophyllum brasiliense (Clusiaceae) is a tree that grows mainly in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Its leaves possess antibacterial activity, cytotoxic activity against certain tumor cell lines, and antimicrobial activity in BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis.

Aiming to identify ultrastructural changes and DNA fragmentation in Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, promastigotes were treated with a concentration of the dichloromethane extract and coumarin (−) mammea A/BB from C. brasiliense leaves that inhibited 50 % of the parasites (IC₅₀), and were evaluated by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Ultrastructural changes showed different levels of mitochondrial alterations, including mitochondrial swelling and a reduction in the density of the mitochondrial matrix. Induced DNA fragmentation, as observed by TUNEL, suggested that the extract and coumarin (−) mammea A/BB induced apoptosis-like cell death. These results suggest that the combination of C. brasiliense extract and coumarin (−) mammea A/BB can be considered a promising candidate for the development of new antiprotozoal agents, because of its significant leishmanicidal activity.

Key words

Calophyllum brasiliense - Clusiaceae - cutaneous leishmaniasis - Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis - ultrastructure - DNA fragmentation - coumarin (−) mammea A/BB

• References

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