Activity of Geranium macrorrhizum extracts, essential oils and their main components against three relevant flagellated protozoa
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Date
2025-10-03
Authors
Marcos Herraiz, SaraIrisarri Gutiérrez, Maria Jose
Carrión, Javier
Azami Conesa, Iris
Suárez Lombao, Rodrigo
Navarro Rocha, Juliana
Quílez, Jose Francisco
Fernández Barrero, Alejandro
Ochoa, Eneko
González Coloma, Azucena
Gómez Muñoz, María Teresa
Bailén, María
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Typology
texto , artículo preliminarAbstract
Plant-derived natural products are structurally diverse secondary metabolites that play essential ecological roles and have long been recognized for their therapeutic potential. Geranium macrorrhizum is known to produce bioactive extracts and essential oils rich in monoterpenoids and sesquiterpenes. While various Geranium species have demonstrated antiprotozoal activity, the potential of G. macrorrhizum against protozoan parasites remains unexplored. Given the increasing resistance of protozoan pathogens to conventional treatments, there is a pressing need to identify alternative therapeutic agents from natural sources. Plant material was grown in greenhouse and aeroponic systems. Extracts were obtained via hydrodistillation and Soxhlet, and analyzed by GC-MS. In vitro assays were performed to evaluate antiparasitic activity and cytotoxicity. Morphological changes induced by germacrone were analyzed using light microscopy. The study evaluated the antiparasitic potential of essential oils, extracts, and compounds from Geranium macrorrhizum, cultivated under controlled conditions, against Giardia duodenalis, Trichomonas gallinae, and Leishmania infantum. Results showed broad-spectrum activity, particularly from non-polar extracts and EOs, suggesting that lipophilic compounds, especially germacrone, are key contributors to the observed effects. Germacrone exhibited strong activity and selective toxicity. Structural analogues of germacrone showed reduced efficacy, highlighting the importance of its specific chemical structure. Morphological analyses revealed parasite-specific responses to germacrone, contrasting with the more destructive effects of metronidazole and amphotericin B. The findings support G. macrorrhizum as a promising source of natural antiprotozoal agents and justify further investigation into its bioactive compounds and mechanisms of action.
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Bibliographic citation
Marcos-Herraiz, S., Irisarri-Gutiérrez, M. J., Carrión, J., Conesa, I. A., Lombao, R. S., Navarro-Rocha, J., Quilez, J. F., Barrero, A. F., Larrigan, E. O., González-Coloma, A., Muñoz, M. T. G., & Bailén, M. (2025). Activity of Geranium macrorrhizum extracts, essential oils and their main components against three relevant flagellated protozoa (p. 2025.10.03.680318). bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.03.680318
AGROVOC subjects
TrichomonasGiardia
Leishmania
Esencia (aceite esencial)
Metabolito secundario
Sponsorship
Este trabajo ha sido financiado parcialmente por las subvenciones PID2020-114207RB-I00 (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España), MINISTERIO DE CIENCIA, PID2019-106222RB-C32/SRA (Agencia Estatal de Investigación, 10.13039/501100011033), PID2019-106222RB-C31/SRA (Agencia Estatal de Investigación, 10.13039/501100011033) y Unidad Asociada UGR-CSIC BIOPLAG.