Effect of piplartine and cinnamides on Leishmania amazonensis, Plasmodium falciparum and on peritoneal cells of Swiss mice

AbstractContext: Plants of the Piperaceae family produce piplartine that was used to synthesize the cinnamides.Objective: To assess the effects of piplartine (1) and cinnamides (2–5) against the protozoa responsible for malaria and leishmaniasis, and peritoneal cells of Swiss mice.Materials and methods: Cultures of Leishmania amazonensis, Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes, and peritoneal cells were incubated, in triplicate, with different concentrations of the compounds (0 to 256 μg/mL). The inhibitory concentration (IC50) in L. amazonensis and cytotoxic concentration (CC50) in peritoneal cell were assessed by the MTT method after 6 h of incubation, while the IC50 for P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes was determined by optical microscopy after 48 or 72 h of incubation; the Selectivity Index (SI) was calculated by CC50/IC50.Results: All compounds inhibited the growth of microorganisms, being more effective against P. falciparum after 72 h of incubation, especially for the compounds 1 (IC50 = 3....