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Scolicidal effectiveness of essential oil from Zataria multiflora and Ferula assafoetida: disparity between phenolic monoterpenes and disulphide compounds

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Abstract

Hydatidosis in humans and animals is a substantial cause of deaths in many parts of the world. Surgery and the chemotherapeutic agents are the main treatments for hydatid disease; however, most of them are accompanied by adverse side effects. In this study, the scolicidal effect of essential oils from Zataria multiflora and Ferula assafoetida against Echinococcus granulosus protoscolices was investigated. Essential oils from Z. multiflora and F. assafoetida were prepared by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Carvacrol (29.2 %), thymol (25.4 %), p-cymene (11.2 %), linalool (9.6 %), and γ-terpinene (8 %) were detected as the main components of the Z. multiflora, while the main components of F. assafoetida were E-1-propenyl-sec-butyl disulfide (62.7 %), β-ocimene (21.7 %) and β-pinene (5 %). Scolicidal activities of the essential oils against protoscolices for Z. multiflora and F. assafoetida were obtained at concentrations more than 17 and 60 μg/mL, respectively. Accordingly, it was concluded that both essential oils can selectively reduce protoscolices viability, and Z. multiflora, which contains phenolic monoterpenes, is more cytotoxic rather than F. assafoetida which contains disulfide compounds. Therefore, Z. multiflora and F. assafoetida could be recommended as a treatment against hydatid cyst.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the financial supports from Shiraz University (grant no. 88-GR-AGRST-108). The authors would like to thank their colleagues at the Plants and Drug Research Institute, University of Shahid Beheshti, for their assistance with GC-MS analysis.

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  1. Institute of Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, University of Shiraz, P.O. Box 71441-65186, Shiraz, Iran

    Gholamreza Kavoosi & Amin Mahammadi Purfard

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  1. Gholamreza Kavoosi
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  2. Amin Mahammadi Purfard
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Correspondence to Gholamreza Kavoosi.

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Kavoosi, G., Purfard, A.M. Scolicidal effectiveness of essential oil from Zataria multiflora and Ferula assafoetida: disparity between phenolic monoterpenes and disulphide compounds. Comp Clin Pathol 22, 999–1005 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-012-1518-2

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