Estragole and thymol display important anti-Toxoplasma activity. - GreenMedInfo Summary
ANTI-TOXOPLASMA ACTIVITY OF ESTRAGOLE AND THYMOL IN MURINE MODELS OF CONGENITAL AND NON-CONGENITAL TOXOPLASMOSIS.
J Parasitol. 2016 Feb 2. Epub 2016 Feb 2. PMID: 26836848
Clà Udio B Silva Oliveira
Toxoplasmosis is caused by Toxoplasma gondii an obligatory intracellular protozoan. Normally benign, T. gondii infections can cause devastating disease in immunosuppressed patients and through congenital infection of newborn babies. Few prophylactic and therapeutic drugs are available to treat these infections. The goal of the present study was to assess the anti-Toxoplasma effects in a congenital and non-congenital model of toxoplasmosis (using ME49 strain), besides assessing immunological changes, in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo acute toxicity of commercial estragole and thymol. The congenital experimental model was used with intermediate stages of maternal infection. The serum levels of IgM, IgG, IL-10, IL-12 and IFN-γ were quantified from infected and treated C57Bl/6 mice. Estragole and thymol respectively exhibited low-to-moderate in vivo toxicity and cytotoxicity. Animals treated with estragol showed high IFN-γ and strong Th1 response. Both compounds were active against T. gondii ME49 strain. Furthermore, orally administered estragole in infected pregnant mice improved the weight of offspring compared to untreated controls. Subcutaneous administration of both compounds also increased the weight of mouse offspring born to infected mothers compared to untreated controls. Estragole and thymol displayimportant anti-Toxoplasma activity. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism of action of these compounds.