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In vitro efficacy of curcumin on Trichomonas vaginalis

In vitro-Wirksamkeit von Curcumin gegen Trichomonas vaginalis

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Summary

Trichomonosis, the disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis, is the most common curable sexually transmitted disease with 174 million cases per year worldwide. The emerging resistance against the current standard therapy with metronidazole is pushing the search for alternative drugs. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of curcumin, a derivate of Curcuma longa, on T. vaginalis. The effective concentrations (ECs) were evaluated using three strains of T. vaginaliswith different metronidazole susceptibilities (ATCC 30001, ATCC 30236 and ATCC 50138) and dilution series of curcumin in 24-well microtitre assays. Curcumin was shown to be highly effective against T. vaginalis, and the susceptibility of the different strains was not affected by an existing resistance to metronidazole. After 24 h of incubation, the EC50 ranged from 73.0 to 105.8 µg/ml and the EC90 from 216.3 to 164.9 µg/ml. In all strains tested, a 100 % eradication of all trichomonal cells within 24 h was reached at a concentration of 400 µg/ml curcumin, the 50-fold concentration still being very well tolerated by human mucosa. Altogether, curcumin seems to be a promising candidate for topical treatment of trichomonosis.

Zusammenfassung

Trichomonas vaginalis ist der Erreger der Trichomonose, der mit weltweit etwa 174 Mio. Neuinfektionen pro Jahr häufigsten heilbaren sexuell übertragbaren Erkrankung. Das zunehmende Auftreten von Stämmen, die gegen das derzeitige Standardtherapeutikum Metronidazol resistent sind, erregt Besorgnis. Ziel dieser Studie war es, die Wirksamkeit von Curcumin, einer aus der Wurzel der Pflanze Curcuma longa gewonnenen Substanz, auf T. vaginalis zu untersuchen. Hierfür wurden 3 T. vaginalisStämme unterschiedlicher Metronidazol-Resistenz (ATCC 30001, ATCC 30236 und ATCC 50138) auf ihre Empfänglichkeit gegenüber Curcumin in einem 24-well Mikrotiterplatten-System untersucht. Curcumin erwies sich als ausgesprochen wirksam gegen T. vaginalis, unabhängig von einer vorliegenden Metronidazol-Resistenz. Nach 24 h Inkubation lagen die EC50-Werte bei 73,0 bis 105,8 µg/ml und die EC90-Werte bei 216,3 bis 164,9 µg/ml. Alle 3 untersuchten Trichomonaden-Stämme konnten mit 400 µg/ml Curcumin innerhalb von 24 h vollständig abgetötet werden, die 50fache Konzentration wird von menschlicher Mukosa gut vertragen. Insgesamt erscheint Curcumin ein vielversprechender Kandidat für die topische Behandlung der Trichomonose.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the members of the workgroup Molecular Parasitology of the Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine for their technical assistance.

Conflict of interest

Orphanidis Pharma Research is patent holder of a formulation comprising curcumin and PEG and license holder of a cosmetic product comprising curcumin. Benjamin Wachter, Michael Syrowatka and Julia Walochnik have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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  1. Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Benjamin Wachter, Michael Syrowatka & Julia Walochnik

  2. Orphanidis Pharma Research GmbH, Vienna, Austria

    Andreas Obwaller

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  1. Benjamin Wachter
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  2. Michael Syrowatka
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Correspondence to Julia Walochnik.

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Wachter, B., Syrowatka, M., Obwaller, A. et al. In vitro efficacy of curcumin on Trichomonas vaginalis . Wien Klin Wochenschr 126 (Suppl 1), 32–36 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-014-0522-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-014-0522-8

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