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Susceptibility of Giardia lamblia to Hovenia dulcis extracts

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Abstract

Giardia lamblia is the causative agent of giardiasis, a common parasitic infection of the human and animal digestive tract. Although several drugs have been available to treat this infection, they present unpleasant side effects or cytotoxicity. In order to find a more natural treatment for the disease, we analyzed the effects of the methanolic extract and three fractions obtained from Hovenia dulcis Thunb. (Rhamnaceae) leaves on G. lamblia. Comparing all fractions, dichloromethane was more efficient in reducing Giardia growth. The exposition of G. lamblia to this fraction lead to degenerations in the surface, modifications in the cell shape and alterations in the localization of nuclei. Besides that, the adhesion of G. lamblia was also altered. Experiments revealed that the obtained fraction did not present cytotoxic effects in mammalian cells. In summary, dichloromethane fraction has strong antigiardial effects and could become an important new substance for the treatment of giardiasis.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) and Sub-Reitoria de Pós-graduação e Pesquisa (SR-2). The authors would like to thank Dr. Helmut Tröster for text revision, Dr. Adriano Caldeira de Araújo for the help with statistical data and Jonas de Britto Filho for technical assistance. The experiments in the present paper comply with the current laws of Brazil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Microscopy and Image Processing, Department of Histology and Embryology, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Av. Prof. Manoel de Abreu, 444, 3° andar, Maracanã, 20550-170, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    A.P.R. Gadelha, F. Vidal & L.H. Monteiro-Leal

  2. Laboratory of Biotechnology of Plants, Department of Vegetal Biology, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, 5° andar, Maracanã, 20550-013, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    T.M. Castro, N. Albarello & S.F.L. Figueiredo

  3. Department of Biochemistry, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Av. Prof. Manoel de Abreu, 444, 4° andar, Maracanã, 20550-170, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    C.S. Lopes & M.G.P. Coelho

Authors
  1. A.P.R. Gadelha
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  2. F. Vidal
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  3. T.M. Castro
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  4. C.S. Lopes
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  5. N. Albarello
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  6. M.G.P. Coelho
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  7. S.F.L. Figueiredo
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  8. L.H. Monteiro-Leal
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to L.H. Monteiro-Leal.

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Gadelha, A., Vidal, F., Castro, T. et al. Susceptibility of Giardia lamblia to Hovenia dulcis extracts. Parasitol Res 97, 399–407 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-005-1476-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-005-1476-6

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