Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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Antiamoebic activities of flavonoids against pathogenic free-living amoebae, Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba species

  • Huong Giang Le (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Medical Science, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine) ;
  • Tuan Cuong Vo (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Medical Science, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine) ;
  • Jung-Mi Kang (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Medical Science, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine) ;
  • Thu Hang Nguyen (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Medical Science, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine) ;
  • Buyng-Su Hwang (Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources) ;
  • Young-Taek Oh (Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources) ;
  • Byoung-Kuk Na (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, and Institute of Medical Science, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2023.07.03
  • Accepted : 2023.08.10
  • Published : 2023.11.30
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Abstract

Free-living amoebae (FLA) rarely cause human infections but can invoke fatal infections in the central nervous system (CNS). No consensus treatment has been established for FLA infections of the CNS, emphasizing the urgent need to discover or develop safe and effective drugs. Flavonoids, natural compounds from plants and plant-derived products, are known to have antiprotozoan activities against several pathogenic protozoa parasites. The anti-FLA activity of flavonoids has also been proposed, while their antiamoebic activity for FLA needs to be emperically determined. We herein evaluated the antiamoebic activities of 18 flavonoids against Naegleria fowleri and Acanthamoeba species which included A. castellanii and A. polyphaga. These flavonoids showed different profiles of antiamoebic activity against N. fowleri and Acanthamoeba species. Demethoxycurcumin, kaempferol, resveratrol, and silybin (A+B) showed in vitro antiamoebic activity against both N. fowleri and Acanthamoeba species. Apigenin, costunolide, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, rosmarinic acid, and (-)-trans-caryophyllene showed selective antiamoebic activity for Acanthamoeba species. Luteolin was more effective for N. fowleri. However, afzelin, berberine, (±)-catechin, chelerythrine, genistein, (+)-pinostrobin, and quercetin did not exhibit antiamoebic activity against the amoeba species. They neither showed selective antiamoebic activity with significant cytotoxicity to C6 glial cells. Our results provide a basis for the anti-FLA activity of flavonoids, which can be applied to develope alternative or supplemental therapeutic agents for FLA infections of the CNS.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grants from the Government of Korea (NRF-2021R1A2C109185513 and RS-2023-00237240) and by the Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resource (NNIBR202303105) grant funded by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea.

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