Effects of Thymus vulgaris ethanolic extract on chronic toxoplasmosis in a mouse model

Abstract

The current work was undertaken to investigate the potential effectiveness of Thymus vulgaris ethanolic extract (TVE) against Toxoplasma gondii infection in chronic experimental toxoplasmosis. To evaluate prophylactic effects, mice received 500 mg/kg TVE for 5 days before they were infected by an avirulent Me49 T. gondii strain. To investigate the therapeutic effects of the extract postinfection, daily treatment with TVE was initiated at 6 weeks postinfection and continued for 10 days. The following groups of animals were used as controls: uninfected/non-treated, infected/non-treated, and infected/treated with a combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine. Brain cyst count and histopathological changes using H&E and Feulgen stains were used to evaluate the efficacy of TVE. The mean number of brain cysts was significantly decreased by 24 % in mice treated prophylactically with TVE. TVE also significantly reduced the mean number of brain cysts when administered to animals already chronically infected with T. gondii. The effect of TVE was comparable to that of treatment with a mixture of sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine (46 and 51 % reduction, respectively). Moreover, considerable amelioration of the pathological lesions in the brain and retina was observed. The results demonstrate the potential efficacy of T. vulgaris as a new natural therapeutic and prophylactic agent for use in the treatment of chronic toxoplasmosis.

Hepatoprotective activity of Thymus vulgaris extract against Toxoplasma gondii infection

“…This genome instability may lead to apoptosis and fatal diseases [30]. It was demonstrated that T. gondii induced DNA damage in the liver cells agreeing with the other investigators who found that T. gondii induced DNA damage in the blood leukocytes, brain and retina [3,31,32]. DNA damage may be attributed to the activation of the host immune response against T. gondii infection.…”

Anti-Toxoplasmaactivity of silver nanoparticles green synthesized withPhoenix dactyliferaandZiziphus spina-christiextracts which inhibits inflammation through liver regulation of cytokines in Balb/c mice

“…In the present study, NPs were able to partially restrain toxoplasmosis-induced decay of antioxidant enzyme activities; this preventive effect was also observed at the histological level. A similar scavenger role of flavonoids in mice and rats after exposure to toxoplasmosis had been determined in the liver [54]. The impairment of the antioxidant defense system is a critical step in toxoplasmosis-induced injury.…”

Medicinal plants used by traditional healers from South-west Algeria: an ethnobotanical study

“…The plant is considered one of the most important antitussive herbal treatments in North Algeria [ 31 ]. The pharmacological properties of the plant have been attributed to a variety of active metabolites such as apigenin, luteolin, p-cymene, borneol, carvacrol, cymol, linalool, thymol, and triterpenic acids [ 32 ].…”