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Related Concept Videos

Antiprotozoal Agents01:21

Antiprotozoal Agents

Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...
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Leishmaniasis is a protozoal disease caused by species of the genus Leishmania and transmitted through the bite of infected female sandflies. The parasite exists in two principal morphological forms during its life cycle. A sandfly acquires intracellular amastigotes from an infected reservoir host, such as a dog. Within the sandfly, these forms differentiate into motile, flagellated promastigotes. During a subsequent blood meal, promastigotes are injected into the human host, where they...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

A Parasite Rescue and Transformation Assay for Antileishmanial Screening Against Intracellular Leishmania donovani Amastigotes in THP1 Human Acute Monocytic Leukemia Cell Line
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Published on: December 30, 2012

Screening of antileishmanial activity from marine sponge extracts collected off the Tunisian coast.

Amel Ben Kahla-Nakbi1, Najoua Haouas, Ali El Ouaer

  • 1Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Biotechnologie Marine, Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer annexe Monastir, Annexe Monastir, BP 59 Monastir, 5000 Tunisia. Nakbi_amel@yahoo.fr

Parasitology Research
|April 2, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Two marine sponges, Ircinia spinosula and Sarcotragus sp., show promising in vitro antileishmanial activity against Leishmania major. Extracts demonstrated significant anti-proliferative effects, with Sarcotragus sp. dichloromethane extract being the most potent.

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Published on: April 21, 2012

Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Parasitology
  • Natural Product Chemistry

Background:

  • Leishmaniasis remains a significant global health concern, necessitating the discovery of novel therapeutic agents.
  • Marine organisms, particularly sponges, are a rich source of bioactive compounds with potential pharmaceutical applications.
  • The Ircinidae family (Demospongiae, Porifera) is underexplored for its antileishmanial properties.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the in vitro antileishmanial activity of extracts from two Ircinidae sponges, Ircinia spinosula and Sarcotragus sp.
  • To determine the anti-proliferative effects of different solvent extracts against Leishmania major.
  • To investigate the morphological changes induced by the active extracts in Leishmania parasites.

Main Methods:

  • Sponges (Ircinia spinosula and Sarcotragus sp.) were collected from the Tunisian coast.
  • Ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, and aqueous extracts were prepared from sponge tissues.
  • Extracts were tested for anti-proliferative activity against Leishmania major promastigotes over 72 hours, with IC50 values determined.
  • Microscopic analysis was performed to observe cellular alterations in treated parasites.

Main Results:

  • All tested extracts exhibited antileishmanial activity, with IC50 values ranging from 1.39 to 264.67 µg/ml.
  • The dichloromethane extract of Sarcotragus sp. demonstrated the highest potency.
  • Microscopic examination revealed that extracts caused significant cellular alterations, including nuclear enlargement and changes in parasite morphology.

Conclusions:

  • Marine sponges Ircinia spinosula and Sarcotragus sp. possess significant in vitro antileishmanial activity.
  • The dichloromethane extract of Sarcotragus sp. is a promising candidate for further investigation.
  • These findings warrant further research to isolate and identify the specific bioactive compounds responsible for the observed activity.