An alkaloid extract of Evanta, traditionally used as anti-Leishmania agent in Bolivia, inhibits cellular proliferation and interferon-g production in polyclonally activated cells

• Traditional medicine and scientific studies have shown that the raw extract ofEvanta [Galipea longiflora, Angostura longiflora (Krause) Kallunki] exhibits antileishmanialactivity. We hypothesized that the healing observed when usingthis plant might not only be due to the direct action on the parasite, but possiblyto a parallel effect on the host immune response to the parasite involvedin the healing process. We show here that an alkaloid extract of Evanta (AEE)directly killed the parasite already at a dose of 10 lg ⁄ ml, but at this low concentration,AEE did not have a major effect on viability and proliferation ofeukaryotic cells. The whole extract was also found to be stronger than 2-phenylquinoline,the most prominent alkaloid in AEE. AEE was not directlystimulating B or T cells or J774 macrophages. However, it interfered with theactivation of both mouse and human T cells, as revealed by a reduction of invitro cellular proliferation and interferon-gamma (IFN-c) production. The effectwas more evident when the cells were pretreated with AEE and subsequentlystimulated with the polyclonal T-cell activators Concanavalin A and anti-CD3.Taken together, our results suggest that Evanta have a direct leishmanicidaleffect and due to the effect on IFN-c production it might contribute to controlthe chronic inflammatory reaction that characterize Leishmania infectionpathology, but in vivo studies are necessary to corroborate this finding.

Nyckelord

Evanta

Galipea longiflora

interferon-gamma

lesihmaniasis

immunologi

Immunology

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