Sakuranetin Reveals Potent, Stage-Dependent Anthelmintic Activity against Angiostrongylus cantonensis
Abstract
Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the leading cause of human eosinophilic meningitis, is an emerging zoonotic parasite of growing public health concern. Current therapeutic options show limited efficacy, particularly against larval stages, underscoring the need for new anthelmintic agents. Natural products derived from Brazilian biodiversity represent a promising source for discovery of new bioactive compounds. In this study, we evaluated the anthelmintic activity of sakuranetin, a naturally occurring flavanone from Brazilian plant Baccharis lateralis (Asteraceae), against first-stage (L1) and third-stage (L3) larvae of A. cantonensis, along with its safety profile. Sakuranetin exhibited stage-dependent activity, being more active against L1 larvae (EC50 = 8.1 μM) than against L3 (EC50 = 62.7 μM), outperforming albendazole (∼15 μM) and showing comparable activity to pyrantel pamoate (∼10 μM) in L1. No cytotoxic effects were observed in mammalian cell lines up to 500 μM, resulting in high selectivity indices, and no toxicity was detected in Caenorhabditis elegans. Morphological and morphometric analyses revealed pronounced phenotypic alterations, including body contraction and significant reduction in larval length. Fluorescence microscopy revealed a stage-dependent increase in propidium iodide staining, with L1 larvae showing markedly higher fluorescence than L3, consistent with greater susceptibility and reduced viability. In silico analysis did not identify relevant alerts for…
Read the paper
Related studies
- eggNOG 5.0: a hierarchical, functionally and phylogenetically annotated orthology resource based on 5090 organisms and 2502 viruses
- Online Survival Analysis Software to Assess the Prognostic Value of Biomarkers Using Transcriptomic Data in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
- OptiType: precision HLA typing from next-generation sequencing data
- Nicotinic Cholinergic System and COVID-19: In Silico Identification of an Interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and Nicotinic Receptors with Potential Therapeutic Targeting Implications
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells have three Omega class glutathione S-transferases acting as 1-Cys thiol transferases
- Hemolysis at low blood flow rates: in-vitro and in-silico evaluation of a centrifugal blood pump
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.