Susceptibility of Toxoplasma gondii to Ethanolic Extract of Tinospora crispa in Vero Cells

Evaluation of Chemical Compositions and the Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Properties of the Aqueous Extract of Tri-Yannarose Recipe (Areca catechu, Azadirachta indica, and Tinospora crispa)

Tri-Yannarose is a Thai traditional herbal medicine formula composed of Areca catechu, Azadirachta indica, and Tinospora crispa. It possesses antipyretic, diuretic, expectorant, and appetite-stimulating effects. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activities, cytotoxicity, and chemical constituents of an aqueous extract following a Tri-Yannarose recipe and its plant ingredients. The phytochemical analysis was performed using LC-QTOF-MS. Antioxidant activities were determined using DPPH, ABTS, TPC, TFC, FRAP, NBT, MCA, and ORAC assays. Cytotoxicity was investigated using a methyl thiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay. In addition, the relationship between the chemical composition of Tri-Yannarose and antioxidant activities was investigated by examining the structure-activity relationship (SAR). The results of the LC-QTOF-MS analysis revealed trigonelline, succinic acid, citric acid, and other chemical constituents. The aqueous extract of the recipe showed significant scavenging effects against ABTS and DPPH radicals, with IC₅₀ values of 1054.843 ± 151.330 and 747.210 ± 44.173 µg/mL, respectively. The TPC of the recipe was 92.685 mg of gallic acid equivalent/g of extract and the TFC was 14.160 mg of catechin equivalent/g of extract. All extracts demonstrated lower toxicity in the Vero cell line according to the MTT assay. In addition, the SAR analysis indicated that prenyl arabinosyl-(1-6)-glucoside and quinic acid were the primary antioxidant compounds in the Tri-Yannarose extract. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Tri-Yannarose and its plant ingredients have potent antioxidant activities with low toxicity. These results support the application of the Tri-Yannarose recipe for the management of a range of disorders related to oxidative stress.

Leaf hydroalcoholic extract and oleoresin from Copaifera multijuga control Toxoplasma gondii infection in human trophoblast cells and placental explants from third-trimester pregnancy

The conventional treatment of congenital toxoplasmosis is mainly based on the combination of sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine. However, therapy with these drugs is associated with severe side effects and resistance, requiring the study of new therapeutic strategies. There are currently many studies with natural products, including Copaifera oleoresin, showing actions against some pathogens, as Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the leaf hydroalcoholic extract and oleoresin from Copaifera multijuga against Toxoplasma gondii in human villous (BeWo) and extravillous (HTR8/SVneo) trophoblast cells, as well as in human villous explants from third-trimester pregnancy. For this purpose, both cells and villous explants were infected or not with T. gondii, treated with hydroalcoholic extract or oleoresin from C. multijuga and analyzed for toxicity, parasite proliferation, cytokine and ROS production. In parallel, both cells were infected by tachyzoites pretreated with hydroalcoholic extract or oleoresin, and adhesion, invasion and replication of the parasite were observed. Our results showed that the extract and oleoresin did not trigger toxicity in small concentrations and were able to reduce the T. gondii intracellular proliferation in cells previously infected. Also, the hydroalcoholic extract and oleoresin demonstrated an irreversible antiparasitic action in BeWo and HTR8/SVneo cells. Next, adhesion, invasion and replication of T. gondii were dampened when BeWo or HTR8/SVneo cells were infected with pretreated tachyzoites. Finally, infected and treated BeWo cells upregulated IL-6 and downmodulated IL-8, while HTR8/SVneo cells did not change significantly these cytokines when infected and treated. Finally, both the extract and oleoresin reduced the T. gondii proliferation in human explants, and no significant changes were observed in relation to cytokine production. Thus, compounds from C. multijuga presented different antiparasitic activities that were dependent on the experimental model, being the direct action on tachyzoites a common mechanism operating in both cells and villi. Considering all these parameters, the hydroalcoholic extract and oleoresin from C. multijuga can be a target for the establishment of new therapeutic strategy for congenital toxoplasmosis.

An updated and comprehensive review on the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity and toxicological profile of Tinospora crispa (L.) Hook. f. & Thomson

Tinospora crispa (L.) Hook. f. & Thomson (Menispermaceae) is a plant indigenous to Africa and South-East Asia. It is widely used in ethnomedicine to alleviate various diseases including hypertension, diabetes, rheumatism, jaundice, inflammation, fever, fractures, scabies, and urinary disorders. A total of 167 phytoconstituents, belonging to 12 different chemical categories, including alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds have thus far been isolated from various parts of T. crispa. Numerous in vitro and in vivo investigations have already established the antidiabetic, anticancer, antiparasitic, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, analgesic, antipyretic, antihyperuricemic, and pesticidal activity of this plant, as well as its effects on the cardiac and the central nervous system. Most pharmacological investigations to date have been carried out on plant extracts and fractions. The exact identity of the phytoconstituents responsible for the observed biological effects and their mode of action at the molecular level are yet to be ascertained. Toxicological studies have demonstrated that T. crispa is relatively safe, although dose-dependent hepatotoxicity is a concern at high doses. This review presents a comprehensive update and analysis on studies related to the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological activity and toxicological profile of T. crispa. It provides some critical insights into the current scientific knowledge on this plant and its future potential in pharmaceutical research.

In Vitro and In Vivo Anti-Toxoplasma Activities of Dracocephalum kotschyi Extract in Experimental Models of Acute Toxoplasmosis

BACKGROUND

The problem of resistance to antiparasitic drugs, associated with their side effects, suggest exploring other alternatives, including medicinal plants. Dracocephalum kotschyi (D. kotschyi), for example, from Lamiaceae family, is a plant widely used in Iran and in many countries, and to which interesting pharmacological properties have been attributed. This study aimed to investigate in vitro and in vivo anti-Toxoplasma activities of D. kotschyi extract in experimental models of acute toxoplasmosis.

METHODS

Anti-Toxoplasma activity of the extracts in vitro was performed on Vero Cell, using the MTT test. Vero cell were infected with (3 × 10⁵ tachyzoites/well) following treatment with Dichloromethane (F1), dichloromethane: methanol (F2), methanol (F3), methanol: water (F4), and deionized water (F5) extracts of D. kotschyi, and pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine (positive control). MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) was used to measure cell viability. Effects of extracts on tachyzoites viability were evaluated by trypan blue exclusion method, followed by light microscopy. For in vivo test, 18 groups of 8-10-week-old Inbred Balb/c mice weighing 18-20 g, were intraperitoneally infected with 2 × 10³ tachyzoites and then treated with sterile PBS (negative control), pyrimethamine (25 mg/kg) and sulfadiazine (500 mg/kg) as positive controls, and F1 to F5 extracts (at doses 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg).

RESULTS

The 50% Inhibitory Concentration of F1 extract, F2 extract, Sulfadiazine (Positive control) and Pyrimethamine (Positive control) were 8.77 µg, 7.1 µg 391.18 µg, and 84.20 µg, respectively, while the selectivity indices were 15.667, 30.197, 1.552 and 4.064, respectively. In vivo anti-Toxoplasma activity test showed that Methanol: water (F-4) 50 extract was more active than the positive control.

CONCLUSIONS

Indeed, the extract allowed a survival rate of 10% of the mice, compared to 0% for all the other groups. D. kotschyi has the potential to be valorized in the management of toxoplasmosis.

In vitro biological activity of extracts from marine bacteria cultures against Toxoplasma gondii and Mycobacterium tuberculosis

AIMS

To evaluate the biological activity of extracts from cultures of marine bacteria against Toxoplasma gondii and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Ethyl acetate extracts obtained from seven marine bacteria were tested against T. gondii GFP-RH and M. tuberculosis H37Rv. The cytotoxicity on HFF-1 cells was measured by a microplate resazurin fluorescent approach, and the haemolytic activity was determined photometrically. The extracts from Bacillus sp. (INV FIR35 and INV FIR48) affected the tachyzoite viability. The extracts from Bacillus, Pseudoalteromonas, Streptomyces and Micromonospora exhibited effects on infection and proliferation processes of parasite. Bacillus sp. INV FIR48 extract showed an minimum inhibitory concentration value of 50 µg ml^-1 against M. tuberculosis H37Rv. All the extracts exhibited relatively low toxicity to HFF-1 cells and the primary culture of erythrocytes, except Bacillus sp. INV FIR35, which decreased cell viability under 20%. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry analysis of the most active bacterial extract Bacillus sp. INV FIR48 showed the presence of peptide metabolites related to surfactin.

CONCLUSIONS

The extract from culture of deep-sea Bacillus sp. INV FIR48 showed anti-T. gondii and anti-tuberculosis (TB) biological activity with low cytotoxicity. In addition, peptide metabolites were detected in the extract.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Toxoplasmosis and TB are among the most prevalent diseases worldwide, and the current treatment drugs exhibit side effects. This study confirm that marine bacteria are on hand sources of anti-infective natural products.

The Experimental Role of Medicinal Plants in Treatment of Toxoplasma gondii Infection: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Toxoplasma gondii is the global protozoa that could cause contamination in warm-blooded animals and is considered among the opportunistic pathogens in immunocompromised patients. Among the people at risk, toxoplasmosis infection can lead to the incidence of severe clinical manifestations, encephalitis, chorioretinitis, and even death.

PURPOSE

The present research is focused on the new research for the treatment of toxoplasmosis parasitic disease using medicinal herbs.

METHODS

The search was performed in five English databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar up from 2010 to December 2019. Studies in any language were entered in the searching step if they had an English abstract. The words and terms were used as a syntax with specific tags of each database.

RESULTS

Out of 1832 studies, 36 were eligible to be reviewed. The findings showed that 17 studies (47%) were performed in vitro, 14 studies (39%) in vivo, and 5 studies (14%) both in vivo and in vitro.

CONCLUSION

The studies showed that the plant extracts can be a good alternative in reducing the toxoplasmosis effects in the host and the herbal extracts can be used to produce natural product-based drugs affecting toxoplasmosis with fewer side-effects than synthetic drugs.

Tinospora Cordifolia: A review of its immunomodulatory properties

Emergent health threats have heightened human awareness of the need for health and wellness measures that promote resilience to disease. In addition to proper nutrition and exercise, health-conscious consumers are seeking natural-based modalities, e.g. botanical preparations, that positively impact the immune system. In Ayurvedic ethnomedicine, Tinospora cordifolia (T. cordifolia), a deciduous climbing shrub indigenous to India, has been used to historically to combat acute and chronic inflammation as well as to promote a balanced immune response. As a dietary supplement, T. cordifolia has been administered most often as a decoction either alone or in compositions containing other medicinal plant extracts of the Terminalia and Phyllanthus species. Extensive phytochemical characterization of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of different Tinospora species has identified over two hundred different phytochemicals from non-overlapping chemical classes with the most abundant being diterpenoids containing the clerodane-type skeleton. Numerous pharmacology studies have demonstrated that T. cordifolia modulates key signaling pathways related to cell proliferation, inflammation, and immunomodulation. However, rigorous dereplication studies to identify active constituents in various T. cordifolia extracts and their fractions are lacking. In this review, we will summarize the current information regarding T. cordifolia's ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, and safety in order to highlight its potential as an immunomodulatory dietary supplement.

In vitro and in vivo Anti-Toxoplasma activity of Dracocephalum kotschyi essential oil

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite of worldwide importance, responsible for toxoplasmosis in homeotherms. Although treatment options are readily available, most drugs often cause serious side effects. Extracts of Dracocephalum kotschyi (D. kotschyi) have shown significant pharmacological activity against various parasites, viruses, and bacteria. In this study, we evaluated the anti-T. gondii activity in vitro and in vivo of D. kotschyi essential oil. The thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method was used to assess the anti-T. gondii activity and cytotoxicity of the essential oil. The presence of T. gondii was observed by Giemsa staining, and the viability was evaluated by the trypan blue staining method. Furthermore, the survival rate of acutely infected mice was evaluated by intraperitoneal injecting of the essential oil (50, 100, and 200 mg kg-1 day-1) for five days after infection with 2 × 104 tachyzoites. Essential oil, negative, and positive controls that showed the best toxoplasmacidal activity were assayed in triplicate at each concentration. The essential oil exhibited the highest anti-Toxoplasma activity with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 9.94 ± 0.38 µg, with a selectivity index of 2.463. On Vero cells, the CC50 of the oil was 24.49 ± 0.96 µg and exhibited a significant anti-Toxoplasma activity. Moreover, the treatment by essential oil significantly increased the survival rate compared to untreated infected control. In conclusion, the essential oil might be a useful compound, and with more testing, it may be an excellent alternative to standard chemical drugs in the treatment of toxoplasmosis.