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Updated: May 21, 2026
In Vitro Drug Screening Against All Life Cycle Stages of Trypanosoma cruzi Using Parasites Expressing β-galactosidase
Published on: November 5, 2021
[Trypanocidal and cytotoxic activity of extracts of Colombian plants]
Lorena Valencia1, Diana Lorena Muñoz, Sara María Robledo
1Biología y Control de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto de Biología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
Introduction:
The treatment of Chagas disease is based on only two drugs with limited efficacy and significant side effects. The rich biodiversity of the Colombian flora makes bio-prospecting a potential alternative in the search for new antiparasitic drugs.
Objective:
Potential trypanocidal activity and cytotoxicity was assessed in extracts from 23 Colombian plants.
Materials And Methods:
Extracts of leaves, stems, or of the whole plants were obtained in solvents of a range of polarities. The activity against Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes and the cytotoxicity were evaluated by the MTT enzymatic micro-method. Extracts active against epimastigotes and with low cytotoxicity were also tested on trypomastigotes and intracellular amastigotes.
Results:
Among the extracts, biological activity was confirmed in 4 species. The extracts were active on epimastigotes and trypomastigotes; one was active also against amastigotes. The latter extract was isolated from the plant Hieronyma antioquensis and presented IC(50) of 3.1 mg/ml for epimastigotes, 11.5 mg/ml for trypomastigotes and 2.9 mg/ml for amastigotes. The selectivity indexes were 25, 7, and 27 respectively.
Conclusions:
The extract from H. antioquensis proved a promising candidate for Chagas disease treatment. Futhermore, the MTT enzymatic micromethod was a useful tool for screening biological activity on epimastigotes and other stages of the parasite for further extract trials.
