@article {2556, title = {Proliferative effect of Dracontium spruceanum on Leishmania}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {17}, year = {2025}, month = {December 2025}, pages = {683-687}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {683}, abstract = {

Introduction: Leishmaniasis, transmitted by sandflies and caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, primarily presents in its cutaneous form. Difficulties in diagnosis and the adverse effects of conventional treatments have driven the search for alternatives, such as Dracontium spruceanum ("sacha jerg{\'o}n"), an Amazonian plant containing compounds with potential activity against Leishmania spp., whose efficacy still requires scientific validation. Objective: To determine the effect of the aqueous extract of Dracontium spruceanum against Leishmania. Methods: Detection of Leishmania (Viannia) spp. kDNA was performed by PCR using primers MP1-L and MP3-H, with LTB-300 (L. (V.) braziliensis) and DNAfree water as controls. Promastigotes were isolated from cutaneous lesion scrapings and cultured in biphasic medium, achieving differentiation into axenic amastigotes in Schneider medium, with pH 4.7 as the optimal condition for complete conversion. Plant material of Dracontium spruceanum collected in Ucayali (Peru) was processed to obtain an aqueous extract (100 mg/mL). The antiparasitic activity of the extract was evaluated by the MTT assay against promastigotes and amastigotes, using Glucantime as a positive control. Data obtained were analyzed by ANOVA, considering p-values \< 0.05 as significant. Results: In in vitro assays with Leishmania sp., administration of Glucantime (25 mg/mL) produced a significant decrease in cell viability of promastigotes (71\%) and axenic amastigotes (38\%) compared to the control group. Conversely, the aqueous extract of Dracontium spruceanum (8.33 mg/mL) caused a significant increase in promastigote (160\%) and amastigote (179\%) viability, indicating a stimulatory effect on parasite growth (p \< 0.05). Discussion and conclusion: The in vitro effect of the aqueous extract of Dracontium spruceanum on promastigotes and axenic amastigotes of Leishmania sp. was investigated. Unlike Glucantime, which significantly decreased parasite viability, the extract consistently promoted proliferation in both forms. This result, uncommon in medicinal plant studies, could be linked to the presence of ceramides and cerebrosides, compounds in the genus Dracontium previously associated with mitogenic activity. Additional dose-response studies and phytochemical analysis are needed to identify the active compounds and clarify their mechanism of action.

}, keywords = {Cell viability, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Dracontium spruceanum, Glucantime, Leishmania}, doi = {10.5530/pj.2025.17.85}, author = {Marco Mesia Guevara and Jesus Rojas Jaimes and Luis Casta{\~n}eda Pelaez} } @article {1964, title = {Effect of Butionin-Sulfaximine and Fluphenazine as Trypanothione Inhibitory Drugs on Promastigotes and Axenic Amastigotes of Leishmania Peruviana and Leishmania Braziliensis}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {15}, year = {2023}, month = {March 2023}, pages = {82-85}, type = {Original Article }, chapter = {82}, abstract = {

Background: Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by the Leishmania parasite, which is difficult to diagnose, causes disfigurement and is difficult to treat. Objectives: To determine the effect of Butionin-Sulfaximine (BSO) and Fluphenazine on trypomastigotes and axenic amastigotes of Leishmania peruviana and Leishmania braziliensis. Methods: A study was performed with Butionin-Sulfaximine (BSO), Fluphenazine, and Glucantime (positive control,) utilizing respective concentrations of 41.7 mg/ml, 4.17 mg/ml, and 50 mg/ml for twenty-four hours on axenic amastigotes. Results: A significant difference (*P \< 0.05) was found between the negative control group, Fluphenazine, and BSO within both the axenic amastigotes of L. peruviana (5.5 X 105 / ml for the negative control, 0.15 X 105 / ml for Fluphenazine, and 0.7 X 105 / ml for BSO) and L. braziliensis (6.9 X 105/ml for the negative control, 0.18 X 105/ml for Fluphenazine, and 0.22 X 105/ml for BSO). Another significant difference (*P \< 0.05) was found in the promastigotes of L. peruviana (5.9 X 105 / ml for the negative control, 0.66 X 105 / ml for Fluphenazine, and 3.1 X 105 / ml for BSO) and L. braziliensis (8.7 X 105/ml for the negative control and 5.68 X 105/ml for Fluphenazine). Conclusions: From this, we conclude Fluphenazine and BSO present promising antiparasitic effects against axenic amastigotes of L. peruviana and L. braziliensis in both pharmacological tests of the in vivo model and their potential future use.

}, keywords = {Axenic Amastigote, Butionin-Sulfaximine, Fluphenazine, Leishmania}, doi = {10.5530/pj.2023.15.11}, author = {Jes{\'u}s Rojas-Jaimes and Marco Mes{\'\i}a-Guevara and Alexander Murillo-Zenozain} } @article {1937, title = {Antiparasitic effect of Psidium guajava on promastigotes and axenic amastigotes of Leishmania}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Journal}, volume = {14}, year = {2022}, month = {January 2023}, pages = {973-977}, type = {Research Article }, chapter = {973-977}, abstract = {

Background: Leishmaniasis is a stigmatic and mutilating disease due to pathogenic species of the genus Leishmania which, depending on the species and the individual{\textquoteright}s immune status, may vary clinically from a cutaneous, mucosal, and visceral form, and for which there is no suitable treatment without significant side effects. Objectives: To measure the effect of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Psidium guajava against axenic promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania spp. Methods: The method of [3- (3,4 -dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide] was used to study the antiparasitic effects of ethanolic (100mg/mL) and aqueous (100mg/mL) extracts of Psidium guajava on axenic amastigotes cultures (8.1 x103 parasite/mL) and promastigotes (12 x 104 parasite/mL) obtained from a patient with cutaneous\ leishmaniasis, and the percentage of parasite death was evaluated in comparison with Glucantime (300mg/mL) and untreated parasite cultures. Results: Regarding parasite death in promastigotes, the ethanolic and aqueous extracts had a percentage of 22.58\% and -45.16\%, respectively, with no significant difference between treatments (N=3) (p= 0.058). In contrast, the ethanolic and aqueous extracts had an antiparasitic percentage of 91.67\% and -70.83\%, respectively, with a significant difference between treatments (N=3) (p\<0.05). Conclusions: Our study showed high and significant effectiveness in parasite death (91.67\%) of Leishmania axenic amastigotes of the ethanolic extract (100mg/mL) of Psidium guajava, being this result promising and the basis for in vivo studies, using the ethanolic extraction of P. guajava

}, keywords = {Amastigote, Leishmania, Promastigote, Psidium guajava}, doi = {10.5530/pj.2022.14.198}, author = {Jes{\'u}s Rojas-Jaimes and Marco Mes{\'\i}a-Guevara and Maria Rojas-Puell and Luis Casta{\~n}eda- Pelaez} }