review · Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine
Toxoplasmosis is a widespread disease caused by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. While it affects populations globally, it presents severe and potentially life-threatening risks to individuals with weakened immune systems. Current standard medical treatments rely primarily on combinations of sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine. However, research into natural alternatives highlights the therapeutic promise of medicinal plant extracts. Traditional herbal remedies have long been utilised to address a broad range of parasitic infections. Evidence shows that specific plant-derived extracts can exert targeted anti-parasitic activity against Toxoplasma gondii while potentially offering fewer adverse side effects than conventional drug therapies. Exploring these traditional botanical sources offers valuable insights into novel avenues for therapeutic development and alternative management options for toxoplasmosis.
Toxoplasmosis poses severe health threats, particularly to immunocompromised individuals who may struggle with the side effects of standard pharmaceutical treatments. Exploring traditionally used medicinal plants opens up opportunities to identify new, safer therapeutic compounds, potentially expanding treatment options for global parasitic infections that currently rely on a very limited number of standard drugs.
The findings point towards potential applications in pharmaceutical drug discovery and herbal medicine formulation. Potential users include pharmaceutical developers and researchers seeking lead compounds to create anti-parasitic treatments with reduced toxicity compared to standard pharmaceuticals. Based on the review of traditional uses and extract testing, this work is at an early research stage, requiring substantial preclinical validation, isolation of active compounds, and clinical trials before reaching commercial development.
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Toxoplasmosis is a globally distributed parasitic protozoan disease, caused by Toxoplasma gondii. The infection can result in more severe symptoms with potentially life-threatening in case of immunocompromised individuals. Sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine are the two drugs used as a part of standard therapy for toxoplasmosis. Researchers have demonstrated the therapeutic effects of medicinal plants for toxoplasmosis, which can be used as an alternative to standard drug therapy with reduced side effects. Traditional herbal plants are used by people to cure a large number of parasitic disorders. This review provides new insights into various medicinal plants that are used traditionally for the treatment of toxoplasmosis and other parasitic infections, which can be useful as an alternative treatment option for Toxoplasma gondii infections.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.apjtm.2016.06.012
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