The search for new therapeutic agents has been a constant for the treatment of diseases such as leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. Most drugs used have side effects, justifying the need to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the tested products for candidates to new drugs. In this study, the bioactivity of Lygodium venustum, a cosmopolitan fern of Lygodiaceae, was assessed about their leishmanicidal and trypanocidal potential. The better activity was observed using methanol fraction, with inhibition percentage of 63% and 68% for promastigotes and epimastigotes, respectively, at a concentration of 500 μg/mL. The ethyl acetate and methanol fractions demonstrated a higher cytotoxic potential. This was the first report of leishmanicidal, trypanocidal and cytotoxic activities to L. venustum.
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