Molecules (Feb 2011)

Antileishmanial Activity of the Hydroalcoholic Extract of Miconia langsdorffii, Isolated Compounds, and Semi-Synthetic Derivatives

  • Wilson R. Cunha,
  • Ademar A. da Silva Filho,
  • Sérgio Albuquerque,
  • Fransérgio F. dos Santos,
  • Lizandra G. Magalhães,
  • Milton Groppo,
  • Ana H. Januário,
  • Rodrigo Cassio Sola Veneziani,
  • Valéria M. M. Gimenez,
  • Juliana A. Peixoto,
  • Antônio E. M. Crotti,
  • Márcio Luis Andrade e Silva

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules16021825
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 2
pp. 1825 – 1833

Abstract

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The in vitro activity of the crude hydroalcoholic extract of the aerial parts of Miconia langsdorffii Cogn. was evaluated against the promastigote forms of L. amazonensis, the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in humans. The bioassay-guided fractionation of this extract led to identification of the triterpenes ursolic acid and oleanolic acid as the major compounds in the fraction that displayed the highest activity. Several ursolic acid semi-synthetic derivatives were prepared, to find out whether more active compounds could be obtained. Among these ursolic acid-derived substances, the C-28 methyl ester derivative exhibited the best antileishmanial activity.

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