TY - JOUR
T1 - Activity of bilobalide, a sesquiterpene from Ginkgo biloba, on Pneumocystis carinii
AU - Atzori, C.
AU - Bruno, A.
AU - Chichino, G.
AU - Bombardelli, E.
AU - Scaglia, M.
AU - Ghione, M.
PY - 1993
Y1 - 1993
N2 - The sesquiterpene bilobalide, extracted from Ginkgo biloba leaves, was tested in vitro and in vivo for the ability to inhibit Pneumocystis carinii growth. Bilobalide was inhibitory to trophozoites cultured on human embryonic lung fibroblasts (HEL 299) at approximately the same concentration as trimethoprim plus sulfamethoxazole (lowest effective concentration, 50 μg of bilobalide per ml versus 9/45 μg of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole per ml), inducing microscopically detectable morphological changes in the cytoplasm of the parasite. In pharmacologically immunosuppressed Sprague-Dawley rats transtracheally infected with a suspension of about 5 x 106 P. carinii trophozoites per ml, the daily intraperitoneal administration of bilobalide (10 mg/kg of body weight for 8 days) lowered the number of organisms by approximately 2 logs (that is, about 99%). There was no apparent toxicity either in uninfected HEL 299 feeder cells or in infected and uninfected animals. These studies suggest that the sesquiterpene bilobalide might be useful for therapy of and prophylaxis against P. carinii infections in humans.
AB - The sesquiterpene bilobalide, extracted from Ginkgo biloba leaves, was tested in vitro and in vivo for the ability to inhibit Pneumocystis carinii growth. Bilobalide was inhibitory to trophozoites cultured on human embryonic lung fibroblasts (HEL 299) at approximately the same concentration as trimethoprim plus sulfamethoxazole (lowest effective concentration, 50 μg of bilobalide per ml versus 9/45 μg of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole per ml), inducing microscopically detectable morphological changes in the cytoplasm of the parasite. In pharmacologically immunosuppressed Sprague-Dawley rats transtracheally infected with a suspension of about 5 x 106 P. carinii trophozoites per ml, the daily intraperitoneal administration of bilobalide (10 mg/kg of body weight for 8 days) lowered the number of organisms by approximately 2 logs (that is, about 99%). There was no apparent toxicity either in uninfected HEL 299 feeder cells or in infected and uninfected animals. These studies suggest that the sesquiterpene bilobalide might be useful for therapy of and prophylaxis against P. carinii infections in humans.
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M3 - Article
C2 - 8363381
AN - SCOPUS:0027288160
VL - 37
SP - 1492
EP - 1496
JO - Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
JF - Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
SN - 0066-4804
IS - 7
ER -