Anti-Toxoplasma gondii RH strain activity of herbal extracts used in traditional medicine

Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2008 Jul 9. [Epub ahead of print]

Anti-Toxoplasma gondii RH strain activity of herbal extracts used in traditional medicine

Choi KM, Gang J, Yun J.

Ecodigm Co., Ltd., 305DTV Post BI, 707 Tamnip-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-510, South Korea.

Methanolic extracts of 15 traditional medicines used to treat Toxoplasma gondii were tested in vitro for their anti-T. gondii activity and cytotoxicity. The median effective concentration (EC(50)) values for the herbal extracts ranged from 0.11mg/mL to 2.28mg/mL. Significant anti-T. gondii RH strain activity was observed with Zingiber officinale extracts (EC(50)=0.18mg/mL), which displayed a highly selective toxicity (selectivity=10.1). Sophora flavescens Aiton extracts also showed high anti-T. gondii activity (EC(50)=0.20mg/mL) and a high selective toxicity (4.6). This indicates that Z. officinale and S. flavescens Aiton extracts may be sources of new anti-T. gondii compounds.

PMID: 18619816 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]