Flavonoids induce cell death in Leishmania amazonensis : in vitro characterization by flow cytometry and Raman spectroscopy

values of 23.3 ± 4.5 μM, 34.0 ± 9.6 μM, and 10.5 ± 2.5 μM for the EtOAc fraction, (1), and (3), respectively, without toxic effects to the host cells. Moreover, (1) and (3) induced blocked cell cycle progression at the G1/S transition, ultimately leading to G1/G0 arrest. Flavonoid (3) also induced autophagy. Using Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with principal component analysis, the biochemical changes in the cellular components induced by flavonoids (1) and (3) were presented. The obtained results indicated that the mechanisms of action of (1) and (3) occurred through different routes. The results support that the flavonoids derived from S. paludosum can become lead molecules for the design of antileishmanial prototypes.