Evaluation of the Anti-Trypanosomal Activity of Vietnamese Essential Oils, with Emphasis on Curcuma longa L. and Its Components

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 24; no. 6; p. 1158
• Main Authors: Le, Thanh Binh, Beaufay, Claire, Nghiem, Duc Trong, Pham, Tuan Anh, Mingeot-Leclercq, Marie-Paule, Quetin-Leclercq, Joëlle
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23.03.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: African trypanosomiasis; ar-curcumene; ar-turmerone, curlone; Chromatography; Curcuma longa; Curcuma zedoaria; Cytotoxicity; Essential oils; Gas chromatography; Ginger; Health risks; Litsea cubeba; Mammalian cells; Natural products; Oils & fats; Parasites; Selectivity; Trypanosoma; Trypanosoma brucei; Vector-borne diseases; Zingiber officinale; α-zingiberene, β-sesquiphellandrene; China; Curcuma zedoaria; Trypanosoma; Curcuma longa; Litsea cubeba; α-zingiberene, β-sesquiphellandrene; ar-turmerone, curlone; Zingiber officinale; ar-curcumene
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules24061158

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), known as sleeping sickness and caused by , is threatening low-income populations in sub-Saharan African countries with 61 million people at risk of infection. In order to discover new natural products against HAT, thirty-seven Vietnamese essential oils (EOs) were screened for their activity in vitro on ( ) and cytotoxicity on mammalian cells (WI38, J774). Based on the selectivity indices (SIs), the more active and selective EOs were analyzed by gas chromatography. The anti-trypanosomal activity and cytotoxicity of some major compounds (isolated or commercial) were also determined. Our results showed for the first time the selective anti-trypanosomal effect of four EOs, extracted from three Zingiberaceae species ( , , and ) and one Lauraceae species ( ) with IC values of 3.17 ± 0.72, 2.51 ± 1.08, 3.10 ± 0.08, and 2.67 ± 1.12 nL/mL respectively and SI > 10. Identified compounds accounted for more than 85% for each of them. Among the five major components of EO, curlone is the most promising anti-trypanosomal candidate with an IC of 1.38 ± 0.45 µg/mL and SIs of 31.7 and 18.2 compared to WI38 and J774 respectively.