Extracts of food and medicinal plants sold in Moroccan markets induce apoptosis-like in Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in vitro

Treatment of congenital toxoplasmosis is potentially toxic and above all too expensive to be administered systematically in middle-income countries such as Morocco. There is therefore a real interest in discovering alternative treatments that would be financially accessible to all. In this context, plants used in traditional medicine and purchased in markets are good candidates. Aqueous extract of Ammi visnaga seeds had no inhibitory effect against T. gondii tachyzoites intracellular growth in vitro and induced a cytotoxic effect on host cells. In contrast, ethanolic extract of A. visnaga seeds showed anti-Toxoplasma effect with low cytotoxicity, indicating the compounds extracted differed according to the solvent used. Aqueous extracts of Punica granatum peel and Syzygium aromaticum flower buds also showed anti-Toxoplasma effect with low cytotoxicity. All the extracts tested, with a greater effect from aqueous and ethanolic extracts of A. visnaga seeds, induced apoptosis-like of extracellular tachyzoites, as determined by exposure of phosphatidylserine on tachyzoite surface and DNA fragmentation. Finally, the aqueous extracts of A. visnaga seeds, P. granatum peel and S. aromaticum flower buds exhibited antioxidant properties. Phytochemical analysis indicated that coumarins and sterols from the aqueous extract of A. visnaga, saponins from the ethanolic extract of A. visnaga, gallic tannins from the extract of P. granatum, and phenols from the extract of S. aromaticum were certainly the main components responsible for the different effects observed. The results suggested that the seeds of A. visnaga and the peel of P. granatum are the two best candidates for possible preclinical studies on toxoplasmosis.