Evaluation of In Vitro Activity of Essential Oils againstTrypanosoma brucei bruceiandTrypanosoma evansi
Essential oils (EOs) fromCymbopogon citratus(CC),Eucalyptus citriodora(EC),Eucalyptus camaldulensis(ED), andCitrus sinensis(CS) were obtained by hydrodistillation process. The EOs were evaluated in vitro for activity againstTrypanosoma brucei brucei(Tbb) andTrypanosoma evansi(T. evansi). The EOs were found to possess antitrypanosomal activity in vitro in a dose-dependent pattern in a short period of time. The drop in number of parasite over time was achieved doses of 0.4 g/ml, 0.2 g/mL, and 0.1 g/mL for all the EOs. The concentration of 0.4 g/mL CC was more potent at 3 minutes and 2 minutes for Tbb andT. evansi, respectively. The GC-MS analysis of the EOs revealed presence of Cyclobutane (96.09%) in CS, 6-octenal (77.11%) in EC, Eucalyptol (75%) in ED, and Citral (38.32%) in CC among several other organic compounds. The results are discussed in relation to trypanosome chemotherapy.