HERB EXTRACTS AS POTENTIAL ANTIPROTOZOAL AGENTS

Various medicinal properties have been ascribed to natural herbs. Leishmanial protozoal parasites and mammalian cell lines whose sensitivity to natural herbs was undetermined were tested for susceptibility to aqueous and ethanol plant extracts including nutmeg (Myristicaceae spp.), ginger (Zingiber officinale, goldenseal root (Hydrastic canadensis), garlic (Allium sativum), elephant garlic (Allium scorodoprasum), onion (Allium cepa) and licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Growth of cells of Leishmania chagasi 13 and Leishmania mexicana 227 was monitored after 72 hr at 590 nm in microwell plates using a microplate reader. HeLa cells were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium with 5 % fetal bovine serum. Inhibition of HeLa and Leishmania cells was expressed as the IC50 in μg/ml. L. chagasi was more sensitive to both types of garlic than L. mexicana. Extracts from raw onion did not inhibit growth of any of the cell lines. Licorice (G. glabra) inhibited leishmanial parasites, but were not toxic to HeLa cells. All the other extracts showed varying inhibitory activities.