Plants with promising antileishmanial activity in Colombia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Leishmaniasis remains a global public health challenge. The exceptional biodiversity of Colombia includes numerous plants that constitute a promising resource for the development of new antileishmanial therapies.

To systematically assess the in vitro antileishmanial activity of Colombian plants, estimate pooled IC₅₀ values through meta-analysis, and identify plant-derived preparations with favorable selectivity indices (SI) as potential candidates for further investigation.

A systematic search (2000-April 2025) of PubMed, EMBASE, and LILACS identified in vitro studies reporting IC₅₀ values of Colombian plant-derived preparations against Leishmania spp. A random-effects model was used to estimate pooled IC₅₀ values. Risk of bias was assessed using a modified QUIN tool. Subgroup analyses explored methodological and biological factors such as plant part, extraction solvent, and taxonomic family.

Thirteen studies provided complete data for meta-analysis. The pooled mean IC₅₀ was 37.89 μg/mL (95 % CI: 34.99-40.78), with substantial heterogeneity (I² = 100 %), consistent with marked differences in plant species, plant parts, extraction solvents, Leishmania species/strains, cell lines, and assay protocols. Leaf essential oils of Xylopia discreta, crude leaf extracts of Lippia origanoides and Moquilea salicifolia, and bark/wood fractions of Handroanthus chrysanthus, exhibited potent in vitro leishmanicidal activity (IC₅₀ = 0.39-11.1 μg/mL) and high selectivity indices (SI = 18.9-134).

Colombian plants represent a promising source of leishmanicidal agents, with several species exhibiting strong in vitro antileishmanial activity and remarkably high SI values. However, since SI thresholds were originally established for purified compounds, their interpretation for other plant-derived preparations should be approached with caution. Moving toward standardized assays and reporting practices will be key to translating these findings into reproducible and actionable knowledge.