Anti-Trichomonas vaginalis activity of essential oils extracted from Caatinga Myrtaceae species and chemical composition of Eugenia pohliana DC.

Abstract

The current trichomoniasis treatment options are scarce and the emergence of drug-resistant isolates points the need for new therapeutical alternatives. In this study the anti-Trichomonas vaginalis activity of essential oils obtained from Myrtaceae occurring in Caatinga, a plant family with potential antiparasitic activity, was showed. The essential oils varied in their capacity to kill ATCC and fresh clinical isolates, which was associated with heterogeneity and different patterns of endosymbiosis. Essential oils caused moderate to strong cytotoxicity against mammalian cells, but essential oil of Eugenia pohliana (EOEp) exhibited promising selectivity index towards vaginal epithelial cells. A checkerboard assay revealed a synergistic effect when EOEp and metronidazole were associated, indicating different mechanisms of action. The GC/MS analysis demonstrated the volatile composition of EOEp, rich in δ-cadinene, which seems to contribute to its trichomonacidal effect, being a potential target to antiparasitic therapy.

In Vitro and In Silico Biological Evaluation of the Essential Oil from Syzigium cumini Leaves as a Source of Novel Antifungal and Trichomonacidal Agents

“…Thus, new drugs for the treatment of trichomoniasis are highly needed, and natural products have gained prominence as therapeutic alternatives. Previous studies have shown that essential oils from Myrtaceae species have potential against T. vaginalis [31]. Our results corroborate with these studies and point to EOSC as promising in combating T. vaginalis (IC 50 : 88.2 µg/mL), highlighting the need for studies using α-pinene against metronidazole-sensitive isolates.…”

“…Trichomonads in the logarithmic growth phase exhibiting > 95% of normal motility and morphology were inoculated in fresh TYM for assays. The anti-T. vaginalis activity of EOSC was evaluated in vitro at concentrations ranging from 500 to 15.6 µg/mL, as described by Menezes et al [31]. The serial diluted EOSC (50 µL) was added to 96-well microplates with 2.0 × 10 5 trophozoites/mL suspensions (150 µL).…”