Evaluation of in vitro antitoxoplasmal activity of some medicinal plants collected from Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia

Toxoplasmosis is a protozoal parasitic infection with serious consequences for immunocompromised people. The commercial pharmaceuticals used for treatment cause adverse effects and cannot provide a 100% cure. We investigated on antitoxoplasmal activities of eleven medicinal plants from seven different families used in the Al Qassim region of Saudi Arabia against infectious diseases. The plants were extracted in methanol. The methanolic extracts were evaluated against Toxoplasma gondii and the Vero cell line using the MTT assay. The results obtained revealed the maximum inhibitory effects of extracts of Citrullus colocynthis, Blepharis ciliaris and Aerva javanica with IC50 values of 27.7, 65.2 and 78 µg/ml, respectively against the parasite. However, at the effective levels of antitoxoplasmal activity extracts, of all the above plant species showed different degrees of cytotoxicity against the Vero cell line with SI values of 1.3, 0.8 and 1.1. Hence, we suggest further studies to isolate the active ingredients are highly recommended