Efficacy of some essential oils in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of orally administered Cymbopogon citratus , Zingiber officinale and Syzygium aromaticum essential oils (EOs) in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi . Methods: Three experiments were conducted with 48 Swiss mice each. The animals were inoculated with 2 x 10 6 metacyclic trypomastigotes of T. Cruzi Y-strain and allocated into the following groups ( N = 12): 1) untreated control; 2) treated with benznidazole (BZ); 3) treated with EO 100 mg/kg; and 4) treated with EO 250 mg/kg. The groups were evaluated by fresh blood test, blood culture, conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR and cure rate (CR). Results: All the animals were completely infected with T. cruzi . Treatment with C. citratus and Z. officinale EOs altered some of the parameters derived from the parasitemia curve, but CRs did not differ from BZ. Treatment with S. Aromaticum EO, on the other hand, not only altered all the parameters derived from the parasitemia curve, similar to BZ, but at the dose of 100 mg/kg, CR was also significantly higher than BZ. Conclusion: The results indicate that the essential oils tested, especially S . aromaticum , exhibited anti- Trypanosoma cruzi effect and therefore should be investigated for the treatment of Chagas disease. Keywords: Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi , Cymbopogon citratus , Zingiber officinale , Syzygium aromaticum , Essential oils, Chemotherapy

[1]  Max Jean de Ornelas Toledo,et al.  Outcome of oral infection in mice inoculated with Trypanosoma cruzi IV of the Western Brazilian Amazon. , 2017, Acta tropica.

[2]  P. Romano,et al.  Drugs for the etiologic treatment of Chagas disease: Myths and Truths , 2016 .

[3]  M. Miles,et al.  Drug discovery for Chagas disease should consider Trypanosoma cruzi strain diversity , 2014, Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.

[4]  H. Coutinho,et al.  In vitro cytotoxic and antiparasitic activity of caryophyllene and eugenol against Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania brasiliensis , 2013 .

[5]  G. Dias,et al.  Evolution of infection in mice inoculated by the oral route with different developmental forms of Trypanosoma cruzi I and II. , 2013, Experimental parasitology.

[6]  G. Delgado,et al.  Evaluation of the Leishmanicidal and Cytotoxic Potential of Essential Oils Derived From Ten Colombian Plants , 2013, Iranian journal of parasitology.

[7]  J. Rojas,et al.  [The effect of the essential oil from Aloysia triphylla britton (lemon verbena) on Trypanosoma cruzi in mice]. , 2012, Revista peruana de medicina experimental y salud publica.

[8]  C. Nakamura,et al.  In Vitro and In Vivo Trypanocidal Synergistic Activity of N-Butyl-1-(4-Dimethylamino)Phenyl-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-β-Carboline-3-Carboxamide Associated with Benznidazole , 2011, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

[9]  C. Nakamura,et al.  Natural Products and Chagas′ Disease: A Review of Plant Compounds Studied for Activity Against Trypanosoma cruzi , 2011 .

[10]  P. Shaba,et al.  In vitro trypanocidal activity of methanolic extracts of Quercus borealis leaves and Zingiber officinale roots against Trypanosoma evansi , 2011 .

[11]  M. J. Soares,et al.  In vitro effects of citral on trypanosoma cruzi metacyclogenesis. , 2010, Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.

[12]  A. S. Agbaji,et al.  Evaluation of In Vitro Activity of Essential Oils against Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Trypanosoma evansi , 2010, Journal of parasitology research.

[13]  E. Stashenko,et al.  Chemical composition and antiprotozoal activities of Colombian Lippia spp essential oils and their major components. , 2010, Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.

[14]  A. Romanha,et al.  A new consensus for Trypanosoma cruzi intraspecific nomenclature: second revision meeting recommends TcI to TcVI. , 2009, Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.

[15]  F Bakkali,et al.  Biological effects of essential oils--a review. , 2008, Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association.

[16]  M. J. Soares,et al.  Anti-proliferative effect of the essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf (lemongrass) on intracellular amastigotes, bloodstream trypomastigotes and culture epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi (Protozoa: Kinetoplastida) , 2007, Parasitology.

[17]  M. J. Soares,et al.  Trypanosoma cruzi: activity of essential oils from Achillea millefolium L., Syzygium aromaticum L. and Ocimum basilicum L. on epimastigotes and trypomastigotes. , 2007, Experimental parasitology.

[18]  M. T. Bahia,et al.  Trypanosoma cruzi: sensitivity of the polymerase chain reaction for detecting the parasite in the blood of mice infected with different clonal genotypes. , 2006, Experimental parasitology.

[19]  R. Tarleton,et al.  Rapid quantitation of Trypanosoma cruzi in host tissue by real-time PCR. , 2003, Molecular and biochemical parasitology.

[20]  M. J. Toledo,et al.  Trypanosoma cruzi: chemotherapy with benznidazole in mice inoculated with strains from Paraná state and from different endemic areas of Brazil. , 1997, Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo.

[21]  E. Chiari,et al.  [Biological characterization of clones of the Y, CL and MR strains of Trypanosoma cruzi in inbred C3H mice]. , 1988, Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.

[22]  L. Filardi,et al.  Susceptibility and natural resistance of Trypanosoma cruzi strains to drugs used clinically in Chagas disease. , 1987, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

[23]  S. G. Andrade,et al.  Evaluation of chemotherapy with benznidazole and nifurtimox in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi strains of different types. , 1985, Bulletin of the World Health Organization.

[24]  Z. Brener.  Therapeutic activity and criterion of cure on mice experimentally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. , 1962, Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo.