Anti-Trypanosomatidae Activity of Essential Oils and Their Main Components from Selected Medicinal Plants

Abstract

Kinetoplastida is a group of flagellated protozoa characterized by the presence of a kinetoplast, a structure which is part of a large mitochondria and contains DNA. Parasites of this group include genera such as <i>Leishmania,</i> that cause disease in humans and animals, and <i>Phytomonas,</i> that are capable of infecting plants. Due to the lack of treatments, the low efficacy, or the high toxicity of the employed therapeutic agents there is a need to seek potential alternative treatments. In the present work, the antiparasitic activity on <i>Leishmania infantum</i> and <i>Phytomonas davidi</i> of 23 essential oils (EOs) from plants of the Lamiaceae and Asteraceae families, extracted by hydrodistillation (HD) at laboratory scale and steam distillation (SD) in a pilot plant, were evaluated. The chemical compositions of the EOs were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Additionally, the cytotoxic activity on mammalian cells of the major components from the most active EOs was evaluated, and their anti-<i>Phytomonas</i> and anti-<i>Leishmania</i> effects analyzed. <i>L. infantum</i> was more sensitive to the EOs than <i>P. davidi</i>. The EOs with the best anti-kinetoplastid activity were <i>S. montana</i>, <i>T. vulgaris</i>, <i>M. suaveolens</i>, and <i>L. luisieri</i>. Steam distillation increased the linalyl acetate, β-caryophyllene, and trans-α-necrodyl acetate contents of the EOs, and decreased the amount of borneol and 1,8 cineol. The major active components of the EOs were tested, with thymol being the strongest anti-<i>Phytomonas</i> compound followed by carvacrol. Our study identified potential treatments against kinetoplastids.