In vitro antileishmanial activity of three saponins isolated from ivy, alpha-hederin, beta-hederin and hederacolchiside A(1), in association with pentamidine and amphotericin B.

The in vitro antileishmanial activity of three saponins isolated from ivy, alpha-hederin, beta-hederin and hederacolchiside A(1), was investigated on parasites of the species Leishmania mexicana, in their promastigote and amastigote forms compared with their toxicity versus human monocytes. The results showed that saponins exhibited a strong antiproliferative activity on all stages of development of the parasite but demonstrated a strong toxicity versus human cells. Association of subtoxic concentrations of saponins with antileishmanial drugs such as pentamidine and amphotericin B demonstrated that saponins could enhance the efficiency of conventional drugs on both the promastigote and the amastigote stages of development of the parasite. The results demonstrated moreover that the action of saponins on promastigote membrane was cumulative with those of amphotericin B. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.