In Vitro Amoebicidal Activity of Salvia staminea and Salvia caespitosa on Acanthamoeba castellanii and Their Cytotoxic Potentials on Corneal Cells

Background/Aims: Amoebic keratitis is difficult to treat with total efficacy in some patients because of cysts, which are less susceptible than trophozoites to the usual treatments. We investigated the in vitro effectiveness of methanolic extract of Salvia staminea and Salvia caespitosa against Acanthamoeba castellanii, as well as their cytotoxicity on corneal cells in vitro. Methods: Extracts were evaluated for their amoebicidal activities using an inverted light microscope. The effect of Savia species, with concentrations ranging between 1.0 and 32.0 mg/mL, on the proliferation of A. castellanii trophozoites and cysts were examined in vitro. For determining the cytotoxicity of Salvia species on corneal cells, agar diffusion tests were performed. Results: According to the results obtained from these tests, S. staminea showed remarkable amoebicidal effect on A. castellanii. In the case of the cytotoxic activity, methanolic extract of S. staminea showed no cytotoxicity on corneal cells with a concentration of 16 mg/mL. Conclusions: Methanolic extract of S. staminea could be considered a new natural agent against Acanthamoeba. However, further evaluation by in vivo testing is needed to confirm the efficiency of its biological effect.