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Oregano (Lippia spp.) kills Giardia intestinalis trophozoites in vitro: antigiardiasic activity and ultrastructural damage

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Abstract

In the world, giardiosis is still a very important parasitic disease; only in Asia, Africa and America, there are more than 200 million of infected people in a year. The usual treatments are drugs that produce undesirable secondary effects, perhaps favouring the resistant strain selection. One alternative is to research compounds from plants used as antidiarrhoeic or antiparasitic in the traditional medicine. In a previous work, we found that Lippia beriandieri (Oregano) revealed to be more potent than tinidazole, a common antigiardiasic drug. In this current work, we tested the cell viability by re-culture and reduction of MTT-tetrazolium salts to MTT-formazan, and we showed the effect of oregano ethanolic extracts against Giardia intestinalis (synonyms: Giardia duodenalis, Giardia lamblia) trophozoites at concentrations ranging form 58 to 588 μg. We demonstrated the ultrastructural injury produced by oregano extracts in this parasite. Trophozoites lost their size and shape and showed damage in nucleus structure, perhaps by breaking the pattern of nucleoskeleton proteins.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parasitología Experimental, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Insurgentes Sur, C.P. 04530, No. 3700-C, México, D.F., Mexico

    Martha Ponce-Macotela, Yadira Rufino-González & Mario Noé Martínez-Gordillo

  2. Microscopia Electrónica del Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, México, D.F., Mexico

    Angélica González-Maciel & Rafael Reynoso-Robles

Authors
  1. Martha Ponce-Macotela
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  2. Yadira Rufino-González
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  3. Angélica González-Maciel
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  4. Rafael Reynoso-Robles
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  5. Mario Noé Martínez-Gordillo
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Correspondence to Mario Noé Martínez-Gordillo.

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Ponce-Macotela, M., Rufino-González, Y., González-Maciel, A. et al. Oregano (Lippia spp.) kills Giardia intestinalis trophozoites in vitro: antigiardiasic activity and ultrastructural damage. Parasitol Res 98, 557–560 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-005-0082-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-005-0082-y

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