# Antitrypanosomal and Antileishmanial Activities of Tacca leontopetaloides Tubers and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides Stem Bark

## TL;DR

This study identifies plant compounds with strong antiparasitic effects against trypanosomes and leishmania, with low toxicity to human cells.

## Contribution

Discovery of novel compounds from Tacca leontopetaloides and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides with potent antitrypanosomal and antileishmanial activity.

## Key findings

- Dihydrochelerythrin and fagaramide showed strong activity against multiple trypanosome and leishmania species.
- Tarkalynin A and taraxerol acetate exhibited promising activity against T. equiperdum.
- The compounds showed low toxicity to human cells and no cross-resistance with existing drugs.

## Abstract

The phytochemical screening of extracts of Tacca leontopetaloides tubers has afforded the isolation of two novel chalcones, tarkalynins A and B, along with taccalonolide A and its 12-propanoate. The screening of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides stem bark yielded taraxerol acetate, dihydrochelerythrin and fagaramide. These compounds were obtained through column and thin-layer chromatography and identified using NMR and LC-HRMS. The compounds were tested against Trypanosoma brucei brucei s427 and its multi-drug-resistant clone B48, against Trypanosoma evansi, Trypanosoma equiperdum and Trypanosoma congolense, and against Leishmania mexicana. Cytotoxicity was tested against the human HEK293 cell line. The highest activities were observed with dihydrochelerythrin and fagaramide against T. b. brucei s427 and B48, T. evansi, and L. mexicana, with EC50 values of 1.37, 2.559, 1.09, and 5.44 µM and 17.8, 10.9, 10.9, and 13.3 µM, respectively. In addition, tarkalynin A and taraxerol acetate displayed promising activity against T. equiperdum (EC50 = 21.4 and 21.3 µM, respectively). None of these compounds showed significant cross-resistance with existing trypanocides (RF ≈ 1; p > 0.05). The compounds displayed low toxicity to human cells, with most exhibiting no growth inhibition at concentrations of 100, or even 300 µM. This report provides further evidence of the potential use of natural products for combating parasitic diseases.