Planta Medica · 1997 · 39 citations · 0 references
Veterinary MedicineInfectious DiseasesPharmacologyClinical PharmacologyInfectious Disease PharmacotherapyParasitic Skin DiseaseAnthelmintic PharmacologyAntiparasitic PharmacologyAntiparasitic PharmacotherapyAntiparasitic TherapyParasite ControlProtozoal InfectionsAntileishmanial ChemotherapyAntileishmanial TreatmentLeishmaniasis Of The SkinLeishmaniasis PathogenesisLeishmaniasis PathologyParasite Burden AssessmentParasite Burden ControlTreatment Of Leishmaniasis
From the hexanic extract of roots of Annona haematantha an alpha,beta-unsaturated delta-lactone was isolated and identified as argentilactone. This compound exhibited in vitro activity against various strains of Leishmania ssp. at 10 micrograms/ml. BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis were treated four weeks after infection with argentilactone by oral or subcutaneous routes for 14 days at 25 mg/kg daily. The reference drug, N-methylglucamine antimonate, was administered by subcutaneous injections at 100 mg/kg for 14 days. In these conditions, argentilactone showed the same efficacy as the reference drug, reducing by 96% the parasite loads in the lesion and by 50% the parasite burden in spleen.