Schistosomiasis, a
parasitic disease caused by the blood fluke of the genus Schistosoma, affects over 230 million people, especially in developing countries. Despite the significant economic and public health consequences, only one
drug is currently available for treatment of
schistosomiasis,
praziquantel. Thus, there is an urgent demand for new
anthelmintic agents. Based on our continuous studies involving the chemical prospection of floristic biodiversity aiming to discover new bioactive compounds, this work reports the in vitro
antiparasitic activity against Schistosoma mansoni adult worms of
neolignans threo-austrobailignan-6 and
verrucosin, both isolated from Saururus cernuus L. (Saururaceae). These
neolignans showed a significant in vitro schistosomicidal activity, with EC50 values of 12.6-28.1 µM. Further analysis revealed a pronounced reduction in the number of S. mansoni eggs. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed morphological alterations when schistosomes were exposed to either threo-austrobailignan-6 or
verrucosin. These relevant antischistosomal properties were accompanied by low cytotoxicity potential against the animal (Vero) and human (HaCaT) cell lines, resulting in a high selectivity index. Considering the promising chemical and
biological properties of threo-austrobailignan-6 and
verrucosin, this research should be of interest to those in the area of
neglected diseases and in particular antischistosomal
drug discovery.