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Chagas disease affects millions of people throughout Latin America; more than 300,000 new cases and 12,000 deaths are reported yearly. Due the high incidence, social and economic impact, the search for efficient, effective, and safe treatments for this disease has become a priority in the region. Based on previously published studies, it has been determined that some propolis extracts with polyisoprenylated benzophenones (BPI), such as nemorosone, have important trypanocidal activity. Furthermore, BPIs with activity against Trypanosoma cruzi can be found in floral resins of species of the genus Clusia in the southern region of Costa Rica. Therefore, this study proposes to evaluate in vitro and in vivo the antiparasitic effect of propolis containing BPI from the Southern Region of Costa Rica in the search for novel molecules that could be used as a potential treatment for chronic experimental trypanosomiasis. We hypothesize, that propolis is a better source for a wide range of concentrated BPIs than the original botanical source. For this study, 20 samples of propolis from the southern region of Costa Rica were taken from 10 randomly selected apiaries. The samples will be purified using medium pressure chromatographic techniques (MPLC) and the chemical composition will be determined by HPTLC (high-performance thin layer chromatography). At the in vitro level, we will work with the 3T3 cell line to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the compounds. The cytotoxicity and selectivity will be tested in the T. cruzi clone Dm28c. We also propose to validate the safety and efficacy of the selected compounds in vivo in C57B6/J mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]