Lethal Effect of Various Derivatives of Curcumin on Trichomonas vaginalis in vitro

Trichomoniasis is a common urogenital disease in the world. The first line of treatment for Trichomoniasis is metronidazole. Drug resistance and side effects of metronidazole urge researchers to seek new medications. Curcumin is a yellow substance derived from turmeric and has different derivatives with anticancer and antioxidant effects. We evaluated the anti-trichomonas effects of curcumin and its derivatives.
Curcumin 70%, curcumin 90%, Bisdemethoxy curcumin, Diacetyl curcumin, Vanadyl curcumin, Vanadyl diacetyl curcumin, Indium curcumin and Gallium curcumin were prepared. Different concentrations (50, 100, 200, 400, 600, 800 µg/ml) of curcumin prepared with glycerin and 106 Trichomonas vaginalis were added to each well and incubated at 37°C for 24 h. The in vitro toxicity of different extracts against Trichomonas vaginalis was evaluated through MTT assay. All tests were performed in triplicate and SPSS software was used for data analysis.
The IC50 was 450, 400, 441, 453.2, 427.3, 417.6, 441 and 449.1 µg/ml, respectively for curcumin 70%, curcumin 90%, Bisdemethoxy curcumin, Diacetyl curcumin, Vanadyl curcumin, Vanadyl diacetyl curcumin, Indium curcumin and Gallium curcumin against Trichomonas vaginalis. Cytotoxic effects of these compounds against vero cells were 33.1%, 19%, 21%, 20.3%, 17%, 21%, 25.3% and 16%, respectively.
Curcumin 90% had the most activity against Trichomonas vaginalis and Galium curcumin had the least cytotoxic effect against vero cells. It appears curcumin lotion can be used topically to treat trichomoniasis.