4.

Effect of the compounds on the infection rate of Leishmania­(V.)­braziliensis amastigotes in murine macrophages in vitro. BALB/c macrophages were infected with parasites at a ratio of 10:1 (parasite: macrophage) for 24 h. Then, cells were treated for 24 h with 4.0 μM of the compounds 2′,4′,6′-trimethoxy-chalcone (TMC), 3b, 3d, 3h, and 3i, while the control group (control) received an equivalent concentration of dimethyl sulfoxide, as shown on the x-axis. The endocytic index (EI), shown on the y-axis, is expressed as mean ± standard deviation of three independent experiments performed in triplicate. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s multiple comparisons test, with each treatment group compared with the control group. Statistically significant differences are indicated as ****p < 0.0001.