AUTHOR=Zhang Yumin , Alvarez-Manzo Hector , Leone Jacob , Schweig Sunjya , Zhang Ying 

TITLE=Botanical Medicines Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, Artemisia annua, Scutellaria baicalensis, Polygonum cuspidatum, and Alchornea cordifolia Demonstrate Inhibitory Activity Against Babesia duncani

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2021.624745

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2021.624745

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<p>Human babesiosis is a CDC reportable disease in the United States and is recognized as an emerging health risk in multiple parts of the world. The current treatment for human babesiosis is suboptimal due to treatment failures and unwanted side effects. Although <italic>Babesia duncani</italic> was first described almost 30 years ago, further research is needed to elucidate its pathogenesis and clarify optimal treatment regimens. Here, we screened a panel of herbal medicines and identified <italic>Cryptolepis sanguinolenta</italic>, <italic>Artemisia annua</italic>, <italic>Scutellaria baicalensis, Alchornea cordifolia</italic>, and <italic>Polygonum cuspidatum</italic> to have good <italic>in vitro</italic> inhibitory activity against <italic>B. duncani</italic> in the hamster erythrocyte model. Furthermore, we found their potential bioactive compounds, cryptolepine, artemisinin, artesunate, artemether, and baicalein, to have good activity against <italic>B. duncani</italic>, with IC<sub>50</sub> values of 3.4 μM, 14 μM, 7.4 μM, 7.8 μM, and 12 μM, respectively, which are comparable or lower than that of the currently used drugs quinine (10 μM) and clindamycin (37 μM). <italic>B. duncani</italic> treated with cryptolepine and quinine at their respective 1×, 2×, 4× and 8× IC<sub>50</sub> values, and by artemether at 8× IC<sub>50</sub> for three days could not regrow in subculture. Additionally, <italic>Cryptolepis sanguinolenta</italic> 90% ethanol extract also exhibited no regrowth after 6 days of subculture at doses of 2×, 4×, and 8× IC<sub>50</sub> values. Our results indicate that some botanical medicines and their active constituents have potent activity against <italic>B. duncani in vitro</italic> and may be further explored for more effective treatment of babesiosis.</p>