Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1113AAD, Argentina.
Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica (IMPaM) (UBA-CONICET), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, Piso 13, Buenos Aires C1113AAD, Argentina.
Molecules. 2024 Sep 18;29(18):4430. doi: 10.3390/molecules29184430.
Cestodes are etiological agents of neglected diseases such as echinococcosis and cysticercosis, which are major public health problems. Antiparasitic treatment relies on a small number of approved drugs, which are often only partially effective, poorly tolerated and require prolonged administration. Thus, the discovery of novel potential treatments is critical. The genus (Asteraceae) includes species that are recognized as a source of bioactive compounds, with many species associated with medicinal uses. In this study, the cestocidal activity of four South American species that previously showed antiprotozoal activity was analyzed using a motility assay on the laboratory cestode model, . The four extracts showed cestocidal activity, with var. as the most active. The sesquiterpene lactones estafietin and eupatoriopicrin were purified from var. and , respectively, and tested on . Estafietin showed cestocidal activity, inhibiting parasite viability in a dose-dependent manner, even from the first day of incubation. Consistent with the motility effects, the extract of var. and estafietin induced marked alterations in the morphology of the parasite. The results of this report show that species represent a source of new molecules with potential for the treatment of neglected tropical diseases caused by cestodes.
绦虫是包虫病和囊尾蚴病等被忽视疾病的病原体，这些疾病是主要的公共卫生问题。抗寄生虫治疗依赖于少数几种经过批准的药物，但这些药物往往只有部分疗效，耐受性差，需要长时间使用。因此，发现新的潜在治疗方法至关重要。属（菊科）包括被认为是生物活性化合物来源的物种，许多物种与药用有关。在这项研究中，使用实验室绦虫模型分析了先前显示抗原生动物活性的四种南美物种的杀绦虫活性。四种提取物表现出杀绦虫活性，其中 var. 最为活跃。倍半萜内酯 estafietin 和 eupatoriopicrin 分别从 var. 和 中纯化出来，并在 上进行了测试。Estafietin 表现出杀绦虫活性，以剂量依赖的方式抑制寄生虫的活力，甚至在孵育的第一天就有效果。与运动效应一致，var. 的提取物和 estafietin 诱导寄生虫形态发生明显改变。本报告的结果表明，属的物种是具有治疗由绦虫引起的被忽视热带病的潜在新分子的来源。
