LEISHMANICIDAL AND TRYPANOCIDAL ACTIVITY OF EXTRACTS AND SECONDARY METABOLITES FROM BASIDIOMYCETES

Seventeen extracts and seven secondary metabolites isolated from basid iomycetes were tested in medium culture against promastigote forms of Leishmania spp, and bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. Extracts f rom the culture filtrate or mycelium were generally inactive against t he parasites except the Zucoagaricus genus mycelium extract which redu ced by 47% the number of bloodstream forms, Striatin A, striatin B and podoscyphic acid exhibited in vitro activity at 10, 5 and 100 mu g/mL , respectively. One compound showed activity against bloodstream forms of T. cruzi, the sesquiterpenoid naematolin, lysing the parasites by 79%. BALB/c mice infected with L. amazonensis were treated 3 weeks pos t-infection with striatin A and striatin B by subcutaneous route for 1 5 days at 10 mg/kg daily. The reference drug, N-methylglucamine antimo nate, administered by subcutaneous injections at 28 mg Sbv/kg/day for 15 days reduced the parasite burden by 71.2% (p<0.05). Subcutaneous ad ministration of straitin A at 10 mg/kg produced a weak decrease of the parasite burdens in the footpad by 17.6%. The treatment with striatin B had no effect and showed higher toxicity than striatin A. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.