In vitro antiparasitic activity and chemical composition of the essential oil obtained from the fruits of Piper cubeba

• Published in: Planta medica Vol. 79; no. 17; p. 1653
• Main Authors: Esperandim, Viviane Rodrigues, da Silva Ferreira, Daniele, Sousa Rezende, Karen Cristina, Magalhães, Lizandra Guidi, Medeiros Souza, Julia, Pauletti, Patrícia Mendonça, Januário, Ana Helena, da Silva de Laurentz, Rosangela, Bastos, Jairo Kenupp, Símaro, Guilherme Venâncio, Cunha, Wilson Roberto, Andrade E Silva, Márcio Luis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.11.2013
• Subjects: Antiparasitic Agents - pharmacology; Cell Line; Fruit - chemistry; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Leishmania - drug effects; Leishmaniasis - microbiology; Life Cycle Stages; Macrophages; Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; Parasitic Sensitivity Tests; Piper - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Trypanosoma cruzi - drug effects
• ISSN: 1439-0221
• DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1351022

Protozoans of the trypanosomatid family cause the neglected tropical diseases leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis, for which few drugs are available. In this context our group has recently reported that the essential oil obtained by steam distillation of the fruits of Piper cubeba is active against Schistosoma mansoni. Therefore, we have investigated the in vitro effects of the essential oil against the trypomastigote and amastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi isolated from an LLCMK₂ cell line culture and the promastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis. The in vitro activity of the essential oil against trypomastigotes of T. cruzi increased upon rising concentrations, giving IC₅₀ values of 45.5 and 87.9 µg · mL⁻¹ against trypomastigotes and amastigotes, respectively. The essential oil was not active against L. amazonensis, since it displayed lyses of only 24 % at 400 µg · mL⁻¹, and an IC₅₀ of 326.5 µg · mL⁻¹. Therefore, the essential oil should be further investigated to determine the compounds responsible for the observed activities, as well as its mechanism of action.