Verbascoside Inhibits Promastigote Growth and Arginase Activity of Leishmania amazonensis

J Nat Prod. 2016 May 27;79(5):1459-63. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5b00875. Epub 2016 Apr 20.

Abstract

Verbascoside (1) is a phenylethanoid glycoside that has antileishmanial activity against Leishmania infantum and Leishmania donovani. In this study, we verified the activity of 1 on Leishmania amazonensis and arginase inhibition. Compound 1 showed an EC50 of 19 μM against L. amazonensis promastigotes and is a competitive arginase inhibitor (Ki = 0.7 μM). Docking studies were performed to assess the interaction of 1 with arginase at the molecular level. Arginase is an enzyme of the polyamine biosynthesis pathway that is important to parasite infectivity, and the results of our study suggest that 1 could be useful to develop new approaches for treating leishmaniasis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Arginase / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Glucosides / pharmacology*
  • Invertebrates / metabolism
  • Leishmania / drug effects*
  • Leishmania / enzymology*
  • Leishmaniasis / drug therapy*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Phenols / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Glucosides
  • Phenols
  • acteoside
  • Arginase