Polyphenolic extract from <i>Punica granatum</i> peel causes cytoskeleton-related damage on <i>Giardia lamblia</i> trophozoites <i>in vitro</i>

Abstract

The pomegranate peel extract affects <i>Giardia</i> trophozoites <i>in vitro</i>. The damage is related to the cytoskeleton, due to expression and distribution alterations in α-tubulin, particularly in the ventral disk, a primordial structure for adhesion and pathogenesis. Microtubule impairment could explain morphological changes, and inhibition of adhesion capacity and growth. Besides, this is the first report that suggests that ellagic acid, punicalin, punicalagin and luteolin could be interactioning with the rich-tubulin cytoskeleton of <i>Giardia</i>. Further investigations are needed in order to elucidate the mechanisms of action of the isolated compounds and propose a potential drug alternative for the giardiasis treatment.