ANTHELMINTIC ACTIVITY OF LAPACHOL, β-LAPACHONE AND ITS DERIVATIVES AGAINST Toxocara canis LARVAE

Abstract

Anthelmintics used for intestinal helminthiasis treatment are generally effective; however, their effectiveness in tissue parasitosis (i.e. visceral toxocariasis) is moderate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of lapachol, β-lapachone and phenazines in relation to the viability of Toxocara canis larvae. A concentration of 2 mg/mL (in duplicate) of the compounds was tested using microculture plates containing Toxocara canis larvae in an RPMI-1640 environment, incubated at 37 °C in 5% CO2 tension for 48 hours. In the 2 mg/mL concentration, four phenazines, lapachol and three of its derivatives presented a larvicide/larvistatic activity of 100%. Then, the minimum larvicide/larvistatic concentration (MLC) test was conducted. The compounds that presented the best results were nor-lapachol (MLC, 1 mg/mL), lapachol (MLC 0.5 mg/mL), β-lapachone, and β-C-allyl-lawsone (MLC, 0.25 mg/mL). The larvae exposed to the compounds, at best MLC with 100% in vitro activity larvicide, were inoculated into healthy BALB/c mice and were not capable of causing infection, confirming the larvicide potential in vitro of these compounds.Os anti-helmínticos empregados no tratamento das helmintoses intestinais, de modo geral, são eficazes, porém nas parasitoses teciduais, como é o caso da toxocaríase visceral, a eficácia é moderada. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar in vitro a atividade do lapachol, β-lapachona e fenazinas derivadas da β-lapachona sobre a viabilidade de larvas de Toxocara canis. Os compostos foram testados na concentração de 2 mg/mL (em duplicata) em placas de microcultivo, contendo larvas de T. canis em meio RPMI-1640, sendo incubados, a 37 °C, em tensão de CO2 de 5%, por 48 horas. Na concentração de 2 mg/mL, quatro fenazinas, o lapachol e três derivados, apresentaram atividade larvicida/larvostática de 100%. A seguir, foi realizado o teste de concentração larvicida/larvostártica mínima (CLM). Os compostos que apresentaram os melhores resultados foram o nor-lapachol (CLM, 1 mg/mL), lapachol (CLM, 0,5 mg/mL), a β-lapachona e a β-C-alil-lausona (CLM, 0,25 mg/mL). As larvas expostas aos compostos, na melhor CLM 100% in vitro foram inoculadas em camundongos BALB/c saudáveis não sendo capazes de causar infecção, confirmando o potencial larvicida in vitro desses compostos.