Evaluation of silver nanoparticles containing xylan from corn cob as trypanosomicidal agent against epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi |
Xylan; Silver nanoparticles; Trypanosoma cruzi; Benzonidazole
Chagas disease or American Trypanosomiasis is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The current treatment comprises the use of at least two drugs benznidazole (Bnz) and nifurtimox, which present high toxicity and inefficacy in the chronic phase of the disease, which induces the search for more effective therapeutic alternatives. Papers have shown that the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles with polysaccharides has potentiated the biological activity of both. Therefore, the polysaccharide xylan was extracted from corn cob, used an ecofriendly method, and was used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (nanoxylans). Atomic force microscopy and infrared and Raman spectroscopy and coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry showed the presence of silver (~ 19%) and xylan in nanoxylan, as well as their rounded shape and average size (~ 40 nm). T. cruzi parasites lost 95% of their ability to reduce MTT (3-bromo (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2,5-diphenyltetrazolium) when incubated with nanoxylan (100 μg/mL). Flow cytometric analysis showed that 98% of the parasites were positive for propidium iodide when incubated for 24 h with nanoxylan (100 μg/mL), while Bnz, at the same concentration, was unable to induce this effect. The data show that nanoxylan induces parasite necrosis and is a strong candidate for preclinical studies with T. cruzi infected animals.