Estudio Fitoquímico y Evaluación del Potencial Leishmanicida de la Especie Esenbeckia litoralis (Rutaceae)

Abstract

A phytochemical study and evaluation of leishmanicidal activity of Esenbeckia litoralis species (Rutaceae) to obtain secondary metabolites with high biological potential were carried out and completed. The obtained extracts were fractionated using chromatographic techniques and the compounds were identified by spectroscopic analysis including infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance and Mass Spectrometry; the leismanicidal activity was determined by flow cytometry and cytotoxicity by MTT method. Seven compounds were isolated and identified: Flindersiamine (1), 1-hydroxy-3-methoxy-N-methylacridone (2), Maculosidine (3), Kokusaginine (4), Maculine (5), Dictamine (6) and Gardenin B (7). The compound 2 and the ethyl acetate extract of bark showed moderate activity against the parasite of Leishmania panamensis with an IC50 = 37.5 and 9.2 ug/ml respectively. The study showed the presence of active metabolites with leishmanicidal potential in these extracts, which could represent an alternative therapy for treatment of the leishmaniasis.