Inhibitory Effects of Iranian Thymus vulgaris Extracts on in Vitro Growth of Entamoeba histolytica

In vitroimmunomodulatory effects of extracts from three plants of theLabiataefamily and isolation of the active compound(s)

“…Studies have shown that other major components of thyme (as well as of T. daenensis) are tannins, flavonoids, saponins, and triterpenic acids (Behnia et al, 2008;Mojab et al, 2008). Biochemical analyses have revealed that many of these agents are also major components of Z. multiflora plants (Saleem et al, 2004;Mahmoudabadi et al, 2007;Saei-Dehkordi et al, 2010;Hadian et al, 2011).…”

“…Thymus vulgaris L. (Thyme), a member of Labiatae, is a small shrubby plant native to the Mediterranean region that possesses a strong spicy taste and odor. As "Avishan" (in Persian), it is widely used in traditional medicine, including as an: expectorant, anti-broncholitic, anti-spasmodic, carminative, or a diuretic (Behnia et al, 2008;Undeger et al, 2009); its essential oil exhibits anti-bacterial, -fungal, and -oxidant properties (Bukovská et al, 2007;Sokovic et al, 2010).…”

Antiprotozoal Activity of a <i>Thymus vulgaris</i> Methanol Extract and Its Fractions

“…As our crude methanol extract (at 300 μg/mL) could not inhibit convincingly inhibit the growth E. histolytica trophozoites, it can be inferred that ursolic acid is not active against this parasite. Behnia et al have reported positive biological activity against E. histolytica in a water-ethanol extract of Thymus vulgaris with an IC 50 of 3 mg/mL [41]. The different extraction technique and very high concentration of the compound may explain their result.…”

“…However, bioactivity testing of plant-derived extracts at a concentration beyond a 100 μg/mL is uncommon [35]. Furthermore, the study by Behnia et al did not include a cytotoxicity study on mammalian cells [41]. In our study, the therapeutic index was studied by comparing the IC 50 cytotoxicity on Vero cells [42] and the IC 50 for growth inhibition of protozoa species.…”

Hepatoprotective activity of Thymus vulgaris extract against Toxoplasma gondii infection

“…T. vulgaris and its major ingredients (thymol and carvacrol) were expected to exhibit a DNA-protective effect on DNA lesions induced by a strong oxidant (hydrogen peroxide) on mammalian cells cultured in vitro [14]. Additionally, it was found that T. vulgaris exhibited antiprotozoal activity against Trypanosoma cruzi, Entamoeba histolytica, and Blastocystis hominis [15][16][17]. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of T. vulgaris extract against T. gondii infection in experimentally infected mice.…”