TACANA TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY

• Author
• Alberto Giménez Turba, PhD
• Abstract

• Researchers from the UMSA, in the last 6 years with the support of the Swedish cooperation (Sida) executes the project "Biomolecules of medicinal and industrial interest", that documents uses and customs of medicinal species used by the Amazonian ethnic group Tacana, who lives in the department of La Paz, Bolivia. Work recently published in the book "Tacana Traditional Knowledge and Biological Activity", presented at the 8th COLAPLAMED, and organized from Colombia, in October 2020. Samples of the documented species were prepared for their classification in the National Herbarium and in the laboratory, they were macerated (ethanol) and evaluated, in vitro, against a panel of 5 protozoan parasites: Leishmania amazonensis, L. braziliensis (promastigote), Trypanosoma cruzi (epimastigote), Giardia lamblia (trophozoite) and Plasmodium falciparum (asynchronous cultures). Of the 152 documented species, 97 were listed for the first time as part of the medicinal arsenal of this ethnic group and 83 species (54.6%) showed activity against some of the parasites. The percentage of efficacy against each parasite was different and ranged between 12% for T. cruzi and 41% against P. falciparum. To assess the inclusion of traditional uses as selection criteria, in the search for antimalarial agents, we conducted a blind study of 134 species, with 25 (18.6%) related to the treatment of 7 possible health effects caused by the malaria. In the first stage, the species were evaluated against P. falciparum (FCR-3 strain) and the results were ordered under the selection criteria of other authors in: 55 Active Plants IC50<20µg/mL (subdivided into 15 very active IC50<10µg/mL, 19 moderately active 10little active 15Inactive Plants IC50> 20µg/mL. The 55 active extracts were subsequently evaluated against HeLa cells, as an indicator of cytotoxicity (LD50) and the Selectivity Index (SI = LD50/IC50) was calculated. Of the 15 selective extracts, 1 presented hemolytic activity and the remaining 14 were evaluated against the second strain, 3D7, to obtain 6 active species. In the second stage of bioguided chromatographic fractionation, 1 extract lost activity in all fractions, and of the 5 remaining promising species, 3 (60%) were associated with traditional use, which helps us understand the importance of including traditional knowledge criteria in the process of searching for antimalarial agents. The 5 species selected during our studies were also reported as active against P. falciparum, by other scientists, which corroborates the usefulness of the implemented process.

   

• Keywords
• Tacana, Traditional knowledge, Plasmodim falciparum
• Modality
• Pôster
• Subject Area
• Educação e Conhecimento, Etnociências

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