Anti-leishmania activity of semi-purified fraction of Jacaranda puberula leaves.

The crude methanolic extract from leaves of Jacaranda puberula showed activity against Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. The extract presented active against promastigote forms with an inhibitory concentration 50% (IC(50)) value of 88.0 mug/ml, but only moderated activity against amastigote forms; however in higher concentrations the extract showed cytotoxic effects. The bio-guided chromatographic fractionation the crude methanolic extract against amastigotes yielded a fraction with an IC(50) value of 14.0 mug/ml (without cytotoxic activity) in relation to the crude extract (IC(50) value, 359.0 microg/ml). These data indicate that J. puberula leaves contain active compounds, which should be further investigated for the development of new potential drugs against cutaneous leishmaniasis.