In our project, we are investigating the potential of natural compounds, specifically plant-derived terpenes, as novel antiparasitic agents against the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. We screened a terpene library comprising 659 compounds and identified promising candidates with a favorable selectivity index against T. gondii. The efficacy of the hits was validated across different parasite strains and stages of infection, using multiple assays. We also confirmed the irreversibility of their antiparasitic effects.
Terpene-treated parasites displayed altered morphology and reduced intracellular replication, as observed by immunofluorescence microscopy, and treatment resulted in irreversible inhibition of infection. Ongoing and future work includes mechanistic studies focusing on parasite morphology and target identification through in silico predictions, followed by experimental validation using reverse genetics approaches.
