AUTHOR=Villegas-Gómez Isaac , Silva-Olivares Angélica , Robles-Zepeda Ramón Enrique , Gálvez-Ruiz Juan-Carlos , Shibayama Mineko , Valenzuela Olivia 

TITLE=The Dichloromethane Fraction of Croton sonorae, A Plant Used in Sonoran Traditional Medicine, Affect Entamoeba histolytica Erythrophagocytosis and Gene Expression

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.2021.693449

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2021.693449

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=<p>Intestinal parasites are a global problem, mainly in developing countries. Obtaining information about plants and compounds that can combat gastrointestinal disorders and gastrointestinal symptoms is a fundamental first step in designing new treatment strategies. In this study, we analyzed the antiamoebic activity of the aerial part of <italic>Croton sonorae</italic>. The dichloromethane fraction of <italic>C. sonorae</italic> (CsDCMfx) contained flavonoids, terpenes, alkaloids, and glycosides. The ultrastructural morphology of the amoebae treated for 72 h with CsDCMfx was completely abnormal. CsDCMfx reduced erythrophagocytosis of trophozoites and the expression of genes involved in erythrocyte adhesion (<italic>gal/galnac lectin</italic>) and actin cytoskeleton rearrangement in the phagocytosis pathway (<italic>rho1 gtpase</italic> and <italic>formin1</italic>). Interestingly, CsDCMfx decreased the expression of genes involved in <italic>Entamoeba histolytica</italic> trophozoite pathogenesis, such as cysteine proteases (<italic>cp1</italic>, <italic>cp4</italic>, and <italic>cp5</italic>), <italic>sod</italic>, <italic>pfor</italic>, and <italic>enolase.</italic> These results showed that <italic>C. sonorae</italic> is a potential source of antiamoebic compounds.</p>