{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,27]],"date-time":"2026-04-27T11:25:26Z","timestamp":1777289126658,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,15]],"date-time":"2022-08-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1660521600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"CONACyT","award":["CVU: 252867"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CVU: 252867"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Leishmaniasis is a neglected vector-borne disease; there are different manifestations of the diseases and species involved, and cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (L.) mexicana is the most prevalent in Mexico. Currently, the drugs available for the treatment of leishmaniasis are toxic, expensive, and often ineffective; therefore, it is imperative to carry out research and development of new therapeutic alternatives, with natural products being an attractive option. In particular, oregano is a plant with worldwide distribution; in Mexico, two species: Lippia berlandieri Schauer and Poliomintha longiflora Gray are endemic. Both essential oils (EO\u2019s) have been reported to have antimicrobial activity attributed to their main components, thymol and carvacrol. In this research, the leishmanicidal effect and mechanism of cell death induced by L. berlandieri EO, P. longiflora EO, thymol, and carvacrol in L. mexicana promastigotes were determined in vitro. Additionally, the cytotoxic activity in mammalian cells was evaluated. L. berlandieri EO presented higher leishmanicidal activity (IC50 = 41.78 \u00b5g\/mL) than P. longiflora EO (IC50 = 77.90 \u00b5g\/mL). Thymol and carvacrol were the major components of both Mexican oregano EO\u2019s. Thymol presented higher leishmanial inhibitory activity (IC50 = 22.39 \u00b5g\/mL), above that of carvacrol (IC50 = 61.52 \u00b5g\/mL). All the EO\u2019s and compounds evaluated presented lower cytotoxic activity than the reference drug; thymol was the compound with the best selectivity index (SI). In all cases, apoptosis was identified as the main mechanism of death induced in the parasites. The leishmanicidal capacity of the Mexican oregano EO is an accessible and affordable alternative that can be further explored.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules27165183","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,15]],"date-time":"2022-08-15T03:33:20Z","timestamp":1660534400000},"page":"5183","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Mexican Oregano (Lippia berlandieri Schauer and Poliomintha longiflora Gray) Essential Oils Induce Cell Death by Apoptosis in Leishmania (Leishmania) mexicana Promastigotes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4961-3193","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karla Fabiola","family":"Chac\u00f3n-Vargas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ciencias Qu\u00edmicas, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Chihuahua, Circuito Universitario S\/N, Chihuahua 31125, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7128-849X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luvia Enid","family":"S\u00e1nchez-Torres","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biol\u00f3gicas, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico Nacional, Prolongaci\u00f3n de Carpio y Plan de Ayala S\/N, Mexico City 11340, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6535-2558","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M\u00f3nica L.","family":"Ch\u00e1vez-Gonz\u00e1lez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Bioprocesses and Bioproducts Research Group, Food Research Department, School of Chemistry, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Coahuila, Saltillo 25280, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6774-8086","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jaime R.","family":"Adame-Gallegos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ciencias Qu\u00edmicas, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Chihuahua, Circuito Universitario S\/N, Chihuahua 31125, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1827-6844","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Guadalupe Virginia","family":"Nev\u00e1rez-Moorill\u00f3n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ciencias Qu\u00edmicas, Universidad Aut\u00f3noma de Chihuahua, Circuito Universitario S\/N, Chihuahua 31125, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"(2022, June 09). 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