Avaliação dos efeitos in vitro e in vivo do extrato total de Artemisia annua L. no controle da infecção aguda por Toxoplasma gondii

Abstract

Considering that the treatment toxoplasmosis are based on drugs that show limited efficacy due to their substantial side effects, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo effects of Artemisia annua crude extract on Toxoplasma gondii infection. A. annua was prepared from crude extract of dried herb and tested in cell cultures or C57/BL6 mice that were infected with the parasites by comparison with sulfadiazine, a commercially available drug. Considering citotoxicity (TD50) and inhibition (TD50) values for pre-treatment of parasites, the therapeutic index (TI) was determined. The A. annua crude extract showed a higher value (TI = 544.5) as compared to sulfadiazine (TI = 194.4). When treatment of human fibroblasts with drugs was performed after T. gondii infection, TI of both drugs was similar. In vivo experiments with cystogenic parasite strain demonstrated that an effective control of infection by using A. annua crude extract. In conclusion, our results indicate a potential use of A. annua crude extract to control T. gondii infection, due to its low toxicity and its inhibitory action directly against the parasite, resulting in a well tolerated therapeutic tool.