Ian E Cock
Griffith University, Australia
Title: Synergistic antigiardial activities of combinations of Terminalia ferdinandiana fruit compounds: Development of potent novel treatments for giardiasis
Biography
Biography: Ian E Cock
Abstract
In a recent study, we reported potent inhibition of Giardia duodenalis proliferation by extracts prepared from Terminalia ferdinandiana (Kakadu plum) fruit. That study also utilized a non-targeted metabolomics comparison approach to narrow the focus of compounds, highlighting 17 compounds as likely to contribute to that anti-proliferative activity. Notably, the majority of these compounds have previously been reported to have bioactivities consistent with anti protozoal activities. The current study extends these earlier findings by testing pure compounds, both individually and in combination, for the ability to block Giardia proliferation. Interestingly, all of the pure compounds were either ineffective or of only low efficacy when tested alone in the anti proliferative assay. In contrast, several combinations of these compounds displayed potent inhibition of giardial growth. Further examination of the anti proliferative activity using the sum of fractional inhibitory concentration analysis (ΣFIC) indicated both synergistic and additive interactions for different compound combinations. Furthermore, the addition of ascorbic acid greatly enhanced the anti proliferative efficacy of some of these combinations. All individual compounds and combinations were non-toxic/of low toxicity in the Artemia nauplii toxicity assay. The low toxicity of the Terminalia ferdinandiana component combinations and their low toxicity indicate their potential as medicinal agents in the treatment and prevention of giardiasis.