In Vitro Activities of Iboga Alkaloid Congeners Coronaridine and 18-Methoxycoronaridine againstLeishmania amazonensis

In previous studies, we demonstrated the leishmanicide effect of coronaridine, a natural indole alkaloid isolated from stem bark ofPeschiera australis(Delorenzi et al., Antimicrob. Agents Chemother.45:1349-1354, 2001). In this study we show the leishmanicidal effect of the synthetic coronaridine and its racemic 18-methoxylated analog, 18-methoxycoronaridine. Both alkaloids revealed a potent leishmanicide effect againstLeishmania amazonensis, a causative agent of cutaneous and diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis in the New World. Despite their potent leishmanicide effect, both alkaloids were neither toxic to murine macrophages nor did they modulate their oxidative or cytokine production responses.