Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0022568 (keratitis)
 5,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Acanthamoeba species are an important cause of microbial keratitis that may cause severe ocular inflammation and visual loss. Acanthamoeba keratitis is difficult to treat, without total efficacy in some patients because of cysts which is less susceptible than trophozoites to the usual treatments. We investigated here the in vitro amoebicidal activity of methanolic extract of Thymus sipyleus subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus from Turkish flora against Acanthamoeba castellanii and also its cytotoxicity on corneal cells in vitro. Extract was evaluated for its amoebicidal activity using an inverted light microscope. The effect of the polar extract with the concentrations ranging from 1.0 to 32.0 mg/ml on the proliferation of A. castellanii trophozoites and cysts were examined in vitro. For the determination of cytotoxicity of the extract on corneal cells, agar diffusion tests were performed. According to results obtained from the tests, the extract evaluated here showed remarkable amoebicidal effect on A. castellanii. In the case of the cytotoxic activities, it showed no cytotoxicity for corneal cells in the concentration of 32 mg/ml. As a result, polar subfraction of the methanolic extract of Thymus sipyleus subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus could be concluded as a new natural agent for the treatment of Acanthamoeba infections. On the other hand, it still needs to be further evaluated by in vivo test systems to confirm the efficiency of its biological effect.
 ...
PMID:In vitro effectiveness of Thymus sipyleus subsp. sipyleus var. sipyleus on Acanthamoeba castellanii and its cytotoxic potential on corneal cells. 1766 Nov 86

The present study was carried out to investigate the antifungal effects of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Citrus limon, Juniperus communis, Eucalyptus citriodora, Gaultheria procumbens, Melaleuca alternifolia, Origanum majorana, Salvia sclarea, and Thymus vulgaris essential oils against Fusarium species, the most common etiologic agents of filamentous fungal keratitis in South India. C. zeylanicum essential oil showed strong anti-Fusarium activity, whereas all the other tested essential oils proved to be less effective. The main component of C. zeylanicum essential oil, trans-cinnamaldehyde, was also tested and showed a similar effect as the oil. The in vitro interaction between trans-cinnamaldehyde and natamycin, the first-line therapeutic agent of Fusarium keratitis, was also investigated; an enhanced fungal growth inhibition was observed when these agents were applied in combination. Light and fluorescent microscopic observations revealed that C. zeylanicum essential oil/trans-cinnamaldehyde reduces the cellular metabolism and inhibits the conidia germination. Furthermore, necrotic events were significantly more frequent in the presence of these two compounds. According to our results, C. zeylanicum essential oil/trans-cinnamaldehyde provides a promising basis to develop a novel strategy for the treatment of Fusarium keratitis.
...
PMID:Antifungal Effect of Essential Oils against Fusarium Keratitis Isolates. 2622 3