Screening of a library of traditional Chinese medicines to identify compounds and extracts which inhibit Toxoplasma gondii growth

Toxoplasma gondii can cause severe encephalitis in immunocompromised patients. Although pyrimethamine and sulphadiazine have been standard therapeutic agents for the treatment of acute toxoplasmosis, they have toxic side effects. Therefore, there is a need to identify new drugs that are less toxic. Some traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have shown good efficacy in controlling T. gondii replication in mouse models. Here, we screened a natural product library comprising TCMs with the aim of identifying compounds and extracts with anti-toxoplasmosis activities. We found several hit compounds and extracts that could be candidates for new drugs against T. gondii infection.