Trypanocidal Potentialities of Skimmianine an Alkaloid Isolated from Zanthoxylum pistaciifolium Griseb Leaves

Background: Zanthoxylum pistaciifolium Griseb (Rutaceae) is an endemic Cuban species traditionally used for respiratory ailment treatments and religious practices. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial activity from Z. pistaciifolium leaves. Materials and Methods: Four phases obtained from the ethanolic extract were tested against bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), fungi (six Candida spp.) and parasites (Leishmania amazonensis and Trypanosoma cruzi) by microdilution methods. In addition, the cytotoxicity was determined against peritoneal macrophages from BALB/c mice and fibroblast cells L929 using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and resazurin assay. Results: The hexane-butanone phase was the most active against Candida spp. and exhibited moderate effect on T. cruzi trypomastigote (39.3 ± 5.5 μg/mL). The skimmianine isolated from this phase and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance showed a median inhibitory concentration of 58.0 ± 4.0 μg/mL against T. cruzi trypomastigotes and 31.2% ± 6.5% of inhibition on amastigote form at 100 μg/mL. Antiprotozoal activity of this alkaloid was selective with a selectivity index of 9. Conclusion: The current study demonstrated for the first time the antimicrobial potential of the leaves of Z. pistaciifolium, supporting its ethnobotanical uses. The trypanocidal activity observed for the alkaloid skimmianine could contribute to development future of an herbal medicine for the treatment of Chagas diseases.