Anti-parasitic Activity of Essential Oil Against .

Toxoplasmosis is a global zoonotic disease, and one-third of the human population is chronically infected by . Due to the limited effectiveness and prominent side effects of the existing drugs, there is a dire need for the discovery of new therapeutic options in the treatment of toxoplasmosis. In this study, five essential oils (EO) were screened for their anti-parasitic activity against . The cytotoxicity of essential oils was evaluated using the MTT assay on human foreskin fibroblast cells. The CC values of EO, EO, EO, EO, and EO were found to be 22.74, 7.25, 15.01, 6.26, and 4.77 mg/mL, respectively. Only EO exhibited anti-parasitic activity, and inhibited the growth of in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, treatment with EO, was found to reduce the volume of tachyzoites and make their membrane surfaces rough. These results showed that EO was able to inhibit the growth of by reducing invasion, which may be due to its detrimental effect on the ability of tachyzoites to move. These findings suggest that EO could be a potential anti- drug, which may facilitate the development of new and effective treatments against toxoplasmosis.