Efficacy of components from leaves of Calophyllum brasiliense against Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis

Leishmanicide potential of Calophyllum brasiliense leaves on promastigote and amastigote of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis is evaluated. The LD50 of dichloromethane extract and hexane fraction for promastigotes was respectively 40 μg/ml and 20 μg/ml. In mouse peritoneal macrophages infected with Leishmania amastigotes the Infection Index decreased respectively 100% and 84.2% in 80 μg/ml and 40 μg/ml concentrations of dichloromethane extract. Hexane fraction decreased infection index respectively by 98.7% and 91.3% within the same concentrations. It was found that pretreatment with dichloromethane extract or with hexane fraction of experimentally infected BALB/c mice decrease the volume of the lesions by L. (L.) amazonensis. Moreover, animals treated topically also revealed healing lesions. Besides, the parasite load in the animals’ popliteal lymph nodes was significantly reduced in treated animals, showing that plant components actually control infection. Results show that crude extract and hexane fraction of C. brasiliense reveal a significant in vitro and in vivo leishmanicide activity.