Genotoxic evaluation of the molecules with trypanocidal and leishmanicidal effects, canthin-6-one and 5-methoxycanthin-6-one in mouse bone marrow cells

Abstract

American trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis are relevant public health problems in Latin America. The drugs currently used to treat these diseases have severe toxic side effects. Several research groups are dedicated to the search of natural and synthetic products to find new effective therapeutic agents that do not present adverse collateral reactions. In the evaluation of compounds of the plant species Zanthoxylum chiloperone (Rutaceae), it was shown that isolated compounds of the extract had leishmanicidal, trypanocidal and antifungal in vivo activities. Based on these results, the genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of canthin-6-one and 5-methoxycanthin-6-one, molecules isolated from the plant, on bone marrow cells of treated mice were evaluated in the present study. The study of genotoxic effects was made through the test of modifications in the frequency of micronuclei and the cytotoxic effects by modifications in the relationship between polychromatic erythrocytes and normochromic erythrocytes. Two independent assays were performed and in each assay the animals were divided into three treatment groups: GROUP I: negative control that received 200 µL of water and 2.1% of DMSO, orally, GROUP II: compound to be evaluated (canthin-6 -one or 5-methoxycanthin-6-one) with 2.1% DMSO, and GROUP III: positive control that received cyclophosphamide 50mg /kg animal weight, intraperitoneal. Statistical analysis showed that both compounds had neither genotoxic nor cytotoxic effects. These results allow these molecules to be proposed as candidates to be subjected to more detailed studies as potential drugs against these two diseases