The Effect of Fig Leaves on Trichomonas Vaginalis and Macrophages In-vitro

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

2 Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran

Abstract

Aims: Trichomonas vaginalis, an anaerobic flagellated protozoan, can infect the cervix, vagina, pelvis, urethra, and epididymis. The development of microbial resistance and the occurrence of side effects with synthetic anti-trichomonas drugs, such as metronidazole, requires the need to expand research on the use of natural medicines in the control of this infection. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts of fig leaves on the viability of Trichomonas vaginalis in vitro.
Methods: Hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts of fig leaves were obtained by percolation and perfusion, respectively. The effect of the hydroalcoholic extract (2000, 1000, 500, 250, 125, 62.5, 31.2, 15.6, 7.8, 3.9 µg/ml) and the aqueous extract (3000, 1500, 750, 375, 187.5, 93.7, 46.8, 23.4, 11.7, 5.8 µg/ml) were evaluated on Trichomonas vaginalis cells in-vitro. Otherwise, the effect of the hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts (3200, 1600, 800, 400, 200, 100, and 50 µg/ml) was studied on J774 macrophage cells. Using the hemocytometry method, the cell growth inhibition in different concentrations was calculated after three times incubation (24, 48, and 72 hrs).
Results: Fig leaves' hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts could inhibit the growth of Trichomonas vaginalis and macrophage cells in-vitro. The cell growth inhibition in different concentrations and incubation times were significantly different.
Conclusion: The anti-trichomonas activity of fig leaves' extracts allows their use in treating trichomoniasis.

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