In Vitro Activity of Essential Oils from Piper Species (Piperaceae) against Tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii .

Toxoplasmosis is a tropical and neglected disease caused by the parasitic protozoa . Conventional treatment with sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine plus folinic acid, has some drawbacks, such as inefficacy in the chronic phase, toxic side effects, and potential cases of resistance have been observed. In this study, the activity of essential oils (EOs) from three species and their main constituents, including α-Pinene ( and ), β-Pinene (), and dillapiole (), were evaluated against tachyzoites of . α-Pinene was more active [(IC 0.3265 (0.2958 to 0.3604) μg/mL)] against tachyzoites than EO [0.8387 (0.6492 to 1.084) μg/mL]. Both α-Pinene and EO exhibited low cytotoxicity against NHDF cells, with CC 41.37 (37.64 to 45.09) µg/mL and 83.80 (75.42 to 91.34) µg/mL, respectively, suggesting they could be of potential use against toxoplasmosis.