Fourteen essential oils (EOs) from selected live germplasm of medicinal plants have been tested for their antitrypanosomal and cytotoxic activity. These plants have been domesticated and maintained under experimental cultivation. Their EOs were tested on epimastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi strain Y and human lung fibroblasts LC5 cell line, along with the major components of the active oils, both separately and in binary combinations. Mentha rotundifolia, Thymus zygis, T. vulgaris and Hyssopus officinalis were the most active EOs against T. cruzi. Among the main components of these EOs (1-8-cineole, thymol, p-cymene, piperitenone oxide, β-pinene, γ-terpinene, carvacrol and linalool), the most active against the parasite and less toxic to human cells was thymol. In general, the activity of the main components did not exceed that of their origin EO, and the study of the activity of these compounds in combination indicates the existence of antagonistic and synergistic effects depending on the concentration tested.
NewmanDJ, CraggGM. (2012) Natural products as sources of new drugs over the 30 years from 1981 to 2010. Journal of Natural Products, 75, 311–335.
2.
SfaraV, ZerbaEN, AlzogarayRA. (2009) Fumigant insecticidal activity and repellent effect of five essential oils and seven monoterpens on first-instar nymphs of Rhodnius prolixus. Journal of Medical Entomology, 46, 511–515.
3.
SainzP, SanzJ, BurilloJ, González-ColomaA, BailénM, Martínez- DíazRA. (2012) Essential oils for the control of Reduviid Insects. Phytochemistry Reviews, 11, 361–369.
4.
BehrbohmH, KaschkeO, SydowK. (1995) Effect of the phytogenic secretolytic drug Gelomyrtol forte on mucociliary clearance of the maxillary sinus. Laryngorhinootologie, 74, 733–737.
5.
MeisterR, WittigT, BeuscherN, De MeyC. (1999) Efficacy and tolerability of Myrtol standardized in long-term treatment of chronic bronchitis. A double- blind, placebo- controlled study. Study Group Investigators. Arzneimittelforschung- Drug Research, 49, 351–358.
6.
MatthysH, De MeyC, CarlsC, RyśA, GeibA, WittigT. (2000) Efficacy and tolerability of Myrtol standardized in acute bronchitis. A multi-centre, randomized, double-blind, placebo- controlled parallel group clinical trial vs. cefuroxime and ambroxol. Arzneimittelforschung- Drug Research, 50, 700–711.
7.
DorowP, WeissT, FelixR, SchmutzlerH. (1978) Effect of a secretolytic and a combination of pinene, limonene and cineole on mucociliary clearance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary. Arzneimittelforschung- Drug Research, 37, 1378–1381.
8.
PastorJ, GarcíaM, SteinbauerS, SetzerWN, ScullR, GilleL, MonzoteL. (2015) Combinartions of ascaridole, carvacrol and caryophyllene oxide against Leishmania. Acta Tropica, 145, 31–38.
9.
IzumiE, Ueda- NakamuraT, Prado Dias FilhoB, Florencio VeigaVJr, NakamuraCV. (2011) Natural products and Chagas’ disease: a review of plant compounds studied for activity against Trypanosoma cruzi. Natural Products Reports, 28, 809–823.
Martínez- DíazRA, Ibáñez- EscribanoA, BurilloJ, De las HerasL, Del PradoG, Agulló- OrtuñoMT, JulioLF, González-ColomaA. (2015) Trypanocidal, trichomonacidal and cytotoxic components of cultivated Artemisia absinthium Linnaeus (Asteraceae) essential oil. Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 110, 639–699.
12.
LópezMA, StashenkoEF, FuentesJL. (2011) Chemical composition and antigenotoxic properties of Lippia alba essential oils. Genetics and Molecular Biology, 34, 479–488.
13.
HatipoğluG, SökmenM, BektaşE, DafereraD, SökmenA, DemirE, SahinH. (2013) Automated and standard extraction of antioxidant phenolic compounds of Hyssopus officinalis L. spp. angustifolia. Industrial Crops and Products, 43, 427–433.
14.
AzeredoCM, SantosTG, Lameiro de NoranhaBH, SoaresMJ. (2014) In vitro biological evaluation of eight different essential oils against Trypanosoma cruzi, with emphasis on Cinnamomum verum essential oil. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 14, 309–316.
15.
KalembaD, KunickaA. (2013) Antibacterial and antifungical of essential oils. Current Medicinal Chemistry, 10, 813–829.
16.
Al-musayeibNM, MothanaRA, MatheeussenA, CosP, MaesL. (2012) In vitro antiplasmodial, antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activities of selected medicinal plants used in the traditional Arabian Peninsular region. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 12, 49–55.
17.
KurdelasRR, LópezS, LimaB, FeresinGE, ZygadloJ, ZacchinoS, LópezML, TapiaA, FreileML. (2012) Chemical composition, anti-insect and antimicrobial activity of Baccharis darwinii essential oil from Argentina, Patagonia. Industrial Crops and Products, 40, 261–267.
18.
RobledoS, OsorioE, MuñozD, JaramilloLM, RestrepoA, ArangoG, VélezI. (2005) In vitro and in vivo cytotoxicities and antileishmanial activities of Thymol and hemisynthetic derivatives. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 49, 1652–1655.
19.
Sharifi-RadJ, Sharifi-RadM, Hoseini-AlfatemiSH, IritiM, Sharifi-RadM, Sharifi-RadM. (2015) Composition, cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities of Satureja intermedia C.A. Mey essential oil. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 16, 17812–17825.
20.
OyedemiSO, OkohAI, MabinyaLV, PirochevnaG, AfolayanAJ. (2009) The proposed mechanism of bactericidal action of eugenol, α-terpineol and γ-terpinene against Listeria monocytogenes, Streptococcus pyogenes, Proteus vulgaris and Escherichia coli. African Journal of Biotechnology, 8, 1280–1286.
21.
Quintanilla-LiceaR, Mata-CárdenasBD, Vargas-VillarrealJ, Baldazúa-RodríguezAF, Ángeles-HernándezIK, Garza-GonzálezJN, Hernández-GarcíaME. (2014) Antiprotozoal activity against Entomoeba histolytica of plants used in Northeast Mexican traditional medicine. Bioactive compounds from Lippia graveolens and Ruta chalepensis. Molecules, 19, 21044–21065.
22.
SokovićM, GlamočlijaJ, MarinPD, BrkiéD, Van GriensvenLJLD. (2010) Antibacterial effects of the essential oils of commonly consumed medicinal herbs using as in vitro model. Molecules, 17, 7532–7546.
23.
RamosEH, MoraesMM, NerysLL, NascimentoSC, MilitãoGC, de FigueiredoRC, de CâmaraCA, SilvaTG. (2014) Chemical composition, leishmanicidal and cytotoxic activities of the essential oils from Mangifera indica L. var. Rosa and Espada. BioMed Research International 2014:734946. doi: 10.1155/2014/734946.
24.
BaldisseraMD, GrandoTH, SouzaCF, GresslerLT, StefaniLM, da SilvaAS, MonteiroSG. (2016) In vitro and in vivo action of terpinen-4-ol, γ-terpinene and α-terpinene against Trypanosoma evansi. Experimental Parasitology, 162, 43–48.
25.
PavelaR. (2015) Acute toxicity and synergistic and antagonistic effects of the aromatic compounds of some essential oils against Culex quinquefasciatus Say larvae. Parasitology, 114, 3835–3853.
26.
CoccimiglioJ, AlipourM, JianZH, GottardoC, SuntresZ. (2015) Antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities of the ethanolic Origanum vulgare extract and its major constituents. Hindawi Publishing Corporation, vol 2016, Article ID 1404505.
27.
LangeveldWT, VeldhuizenEJA, BurtSA. (2014) Synergy between essential oil components and antibiotics: a review. Critical Reviews in Microbiology, 40, 76–94.
28.
MagiG, MariniE, FacinelliB. (2015) Antimicrobial activity of essential oils and carvacrol, and synergy of carvacrol and erythromycin, against clinical, erythromycin-resistant Group A Streptococci. Frontiers in Microbiology, 6(165), 1–7.
29.
NeiroLS, Olivero- VerbelHJ, StashenkoE. (2010) Repellent activity of essential oils: A review. Bioresource Technology, 101, 372–378.
30.
BurilloJ, García-VallejoMC. (2003) Investigación y Experimentación de Plantas Aromáticas y Medicinales en Aragón. Cultivo, Transformación y Analítica. Ed. Gobierno de Aragón, Zaragoza.
31.
BurilloJ. (2009) Cultivo experimental de ajenjo Artemisia absinthium L. como potencial insecticida de origen natural. In: BurilloJ, González-ColomaA (eds) Insecticidas y repelentes de origen natural. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria, Zaragoza.
