# Effect of Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Açaí) Seed Bioproducts on Trypanosoma cruzi

## TL;DR

Açaí seeds may offer a new, safe treatment for Chagas disease by killing the parasite without harming healthy cells.

## Contribution

Açaí seed extracts show selective antiparasitic activity against Trypanosoma cruzi with low toxicity to host cells.

## Key findings

- Açaí seed extracts significantly reduced intracellular amastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi.
- The hydroalcoholic extract showed a selectivity index greater than 10 against the parasite.
- Extracts induced parasite death through late apoptosis-like and necrotic pathways.

## Abstract

Chagas disease is a serious infection caused by a microscopic parasite transmitted by insects and current treatments are often ineffective and cause many side effects, especially for people who are already in the long-term stage of the disease. Therefore, there is an urgent need to discover safer and more effective substances. In this study, we investigated natural compounds found in the seeds of the açaí fruit, a widely consumed product in Brazil whose seeds are usually discarded. These seeds contain molecules with known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which may help reduce infection-related damage. We tested different extracts from the seeds on several stages of the parasite that causes Chagas disease. The compounds showed a strong ability to reduce the parasite population while remaining harmless to healthy immune cells. We also discovered that these compounds could trigger a process that leads the parasite to die in a controlled way. These findings indicate that açaí seeds, an abundant and low-cost resource, may be a promising source of new treatments and could contribute to reducing the impact of Chagas disease on affected communities.

Chagas disease remains a major public health challenge due to the limited effectiveness and considerable side effects of existing treatments, particularly during the chronic stage. Açaí (Euterpe oleracea) seeds have gained increasing attention as a source of bioactive compounds with potential therapeutic applications. In this study, hydroalcoholic extracts and solvent fractions obtained from açaí seeds were chemically characterized by ESI/MS and HPLC–MS/MS and evaluated for their cytotoxicity and antiparasitic activity against different developmental stages of Trypanosoma cruzi (Y strain). Chemical profiling revealed a predominance of phenolic compounds, particularly catechins and procyanidins, which were identified as major constituents of the hydroalcoholic extract and the ethyl acetate fraction. Cytotoxicity assays performed on murine peritoneal macrophages demonstrated low toxicity, with CC50 values exceeding 500 µg/mL for most samples, indicating a favorable in vitro safety profile. Antiparasitic assays showed weak activity against epimastigote forms; however, significant inhibitory effects were observed against bloodstream trypomastigotes, cell culture-derived trypomastigotes, and intracellular amastigotes. Notably, the hydroalcoholic extract exhibited the highest selectivity against intracellular amastigotes, with a selectivity index greater than 10, fulfilling key criteria proposed by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) for early-stage hit compounds. Flow cytometry analysis showed that both the hydroalcoholic extract and the ethyl acetate fraction induced parasite cell death through late apoptosis-like and necrosis. Together, these findings highlight the antiparasitic potential of E. oleracea seed extracts, particularly against clinically relevant stages of T. cruzi, and support further investigation of these bioproducts as promising candidates for the development of new therapeutic strategies for Chagas disease.