Objective: To investigate antigiardiasic activity in plants used in Mexico as antidiarrheics and/or antiparasitics.
Materials and methods: Fourteen species were evaluated. The antigiardiasic activity was measured in vitro in a blinded fashion using trophozoites of Giardia duodenalis incubated with plant extracts. The viability of trophozoites was ascertained using MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-il]-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) which is reduced to MTT-formazan by the activity of live trophozoites. The reduced MTT was extracted with an acidified alcohol (2-propanol with HCI 0.04 M) and measured in a spectrophotometer at 570 nm. Negative (trophozoites without extract) and positive controls (incubated with tinadazol) were included.
Results: The scientific and trivial names of the plants are given (trivials in Spanish marked by an asterisk). They had the following trophozoite mortality (mean +/- SD in percent): Justicia spicigera (muicle*) = 91 +/- 0.5; Lipia beriandieri (oregano) = 90 +/- 0.6; Psidium guajava (guava) = 87 +/- 1.0; positive control of tinidazol = 79 +/- 1.9; Punica granutus (granado*) = 78 +/- 1.3; Magnifera indica (mango) = 77 +/- 1.0; Plantago major (lante*) = 76 +/- 1.2; Cupressus semperbirens (cipres) = 73 +/- 1.2; Castella tormentosa (chaparro amargoso*) = 70 +/- 0.7; Hematoxilon campechanum (palo de Campeche*) = 67 +/- 1.2. Without or with a low mean activity were Prosopis juliflora (mesquite*) and Rizophora mangle (mangle*) with 0%, Oriza sativa (rice) with 5%, Capsicum annum (pimiento*) with 21% and Persea americana (avocado) with 23%. There were no associations of the antigiardiasic effect with concentration or osmolality of the extracts.
Conclusions: A clear in vitro antigiardiasic effects was seen in nine species. Three of them were superior to tinidazol which is a drug of common use in the treatment of giardiasis.