Antiprotozoal constituents from Annona cherimola Miller, a plant used in mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery

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Abstract
Pharmacognosy Magazine,2017,13,49,148-152.
Published:January 2017
Type:Original Article
Authors:
Author(s) affiliations:

Fernando Calzada1, Jose Correa-Basurto2, Elizabeth Barbosa3, David Mendez-Luna2, Lilian Yepez-Mulia4
1Unidad de Investigación Médica en Farmacología, UMAE Hospital de Especialidades-2 piso CORCE Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Av. Cuauhtemoc 330, Col. Doctores, México, D. F.
2Sección de Graduados y Departamento de Bioquímica, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luís y DíazMirón, México, D. F.
3Sección de Graduados, Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Plan de San Luís y DíazMirón, México, D. F.
4Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitarias, UMAE Hospital de Pediatría. Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Av. Cuauhtemoc 330, Col. Doctores, México, D. F.

Abstract:

Background: Annona cherimola Miller (Annonaceae) is a medicinal plant frequently recommended in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea and dysentery. Objective: This work was undertaken to obtain information that support the traditional use of A. cherimola, on pharmacological basis using in vitro and computational experiments. Material and Methods: Bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethanol extract of the leaves of A. cherimola afforded five phenolic compounds:caffeic acid, quercetin, kaempferol, nicotinflorin, and rutin. Results: The in vitro antiprotozoal assay showed that kaempferol was the most potent antiamoebic and antigiardial compound with IC50 values of 7.9 μg/mL for Entamoeba histolytica and 8.7 μg/mL for Giardia lamblia. Computational molecular docking study showed that kaempferol interacted in a region different than metronidazole in the enzyme pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR). Conclusion: Considering that PFOR is a target of metronidazole; kaempferol may be a lead compound for the development of novel antiprotozoal agent. Also, these findings give support to the use of A. cherimola in the traditional medicine from México for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery.

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