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The repellent activity of Chinese cinnamon oil (Cinnamomum cassia) on nymphal ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides Supino, and Hyalomma asiaticum Schulze and Schlottke) was evaluated in a sample Y-tube bioassay. The results were based on the vertical migration of ticks during the host-seek phase and showed a dose-dependent repellent effect of Chinese cinnamon oil on the tested nymphs after 6 h. For H. longicornis, R. haemaphysaloides, and H. asiaticum at the concentrations (vol/vol) of 3, 3, and 1.5%, the repellent percentages over time were 68–97, 69–94, and 69–93%, respectively, which indicated strong repellent activities against ticks, similar to the positive control DEET (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide). Chinese cinnamon oil exerted the strongest effect on H. asiaticum nymphs. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the repellent effects of Chinese cinnamon oil on ticks. Chinese cinnamon oil has considerable potential and should be developed as a practical tick repellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Malaria and toxoplasmosis are important public health diseases affecting millions of people and animals each year, and there is a continuing need for new and improved treatments for them. Plants have provided many opportunities for new drug leads in pharmacology. Methods: We examined 43 crude extracts from Mongolian plants for their activities against the Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain and the Toxoplasma gondii RH strain using a SYBR Green-based fluorescence assay and a fluorescence-based assay, respectively. The potential toxicity of these extracts was also assessed on human foreskin fibroblast cells (HFF) using a cell viability assay. Results: From the initial screenings, 11 and 7 crude extracts were effective against T. gondii and P. falciparum, respectively, at 100 µg/ml concentration (≥ 80% inhibition activity). The 50% cytotoxic concentrations of the extracts were estimated on HFF cells, and their 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) were calculated. According to our lead criteria (selective index, SI; value ≥ 10), six plants (Galatella dahurica leaf + flower, Leonurus deminutus leaf + flower, Oxytropis trichophysa aerial part, Schultzia crinita whole plant, Leontopodium campestre root, Spirea salicifolia aerial part) inhibited P. falciparum growth at IC50 values of 5.99–64.15 µg/ml (SI values: 10.11–17.02). Amaranthus retroflexus root was highly active against T. gondii (IC50, 19.89 µg/ml; SI value, 38). Conclusion: This first observation of the anti-Plasmodium and anti-Toxoplasma activities of Mongolian plant extracts shows them to be interesting potential candidates for drug discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our previous studies report epidemics of non-tsetse-transmitted equine trypanosomosis in Mongolia. However, the current status of non-tsetse-transmitted equine trypanosomosis endemicity remains to be clarified in some parts of Mongolia. We previously reported the potential application of rTeGM6-4r-based diagnostic tools, an rTeGM6-4r-based immunochromatographic test (ICT) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), in the serological surveillance of equine trypanosomosis in Mongolia. In the present study, the utility of the rTeGM6-4r-based ICT was validated. The rTeGM6-4r-based ICT accurately diagnosed positive reference sera that had been prepared from dourine horses in Mongolia, similarly to the rTeGM6-4r-based ELISA. The diagnostic performance of the rTeGM6-4r-based ICT was maintained when the strips were preserved for at least 2 months under dry conditions. The ICT detected 42 positive serum samples from a total of 1701 equine sera that had been collected from all 21 provinces of Mongolia. The κ-value, sensitivity and specificity of rTeGM6-4r-based ICT were 0.58, 50.0% (95% CI, 37.7-62.3%) and 99.3% (95% CI, 98.7-99.6%), respectively, in comparison to the rTeGM6-4r-based ELISA. Our field-friendly rTeGM6-4r-based ICT was found to be useful for the serological diagnosis of non-tsetse-transmitted equine trypanosomosis in rural areas of Mongolia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]