Piperine Inhibits Toxoplasma gondii growth
Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Microbiology/Immunology/Virology
Session: 2
Room: Woodley Park
Kelci Lawrence - Alabama State University
Co-Author(s): Homa Nath Sharma, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL; Audrey Napier, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL; Boakai Robertson, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL; Daniel A. Abugri, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL
Toxoplasmosis is a neglected disease in the United States of America. This disease is on the rise because of the high seroprevalence rate of T. gondii in domestic and wild food animals, and felids. The chemotherapeutics available for managing T. gondii infections have been faced with serious limitations. To overcome these drawbacks in treating toxoplasmosis, there is a need to discover new inhibitors that could be effective against T. gondii and safe on host cells. In Africa ethnomedicinal practices, Black pepper has been used as an active ingredient in managing the common cold and constipation in people. The active ingredient in this pepper is piperine. Here, we hypothesized that piperine could inhibit T. gondii growth in vitro. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) value for T. gondii tachyzoites was calculated to be 18.34 (10.07 to 38.08) µM. The IC50 value was not toxic to HFF and Vero host cells at 72 hours interaction. Future research is needed to modify the compound to increase its efficacy and retest it in vitro and in vivo to ascertain its potency and safety for future development of drugs against T. gondii infection.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): Advisors self-funding
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Daniel Abugri, Dabugri@alasu.edu
Role: My methods included:I planned the experiment with my advisor, performed an inhibition study against T. gondii and piperine, analyzed various data, and together with my advisor we constructed an abstract.