Document Type : Original Article
Author
Abstract
The protozoan Acanthamoeba can significantly damage vision. It enters eye through
contaminated contact lenses or water and, immediately kills target cells. This study aimed to use
Matricaria chamomilla aqueous extract as a treatment for Acanthamoeba castellani experimentally
infected mouse eyes. Samples of Matricaria chamomilla plants were acquired from nurseries in
the Basrah Province. Following the preparation of plant extracts, gas contact mass spectrometry
(GC-MS) was used to identify the active components, showing that aqueous plant extract of
Matricaria chamomilla included active substances like alkaloids, phenols, tannins, glycosides, and
flavones. Corneal scrapings were collected from patients in Basrah Teaching Hospital. The
isolated protozoan has been morphologically classified in the collected specimens to the genus
level depending on cyst morphology, given the genus A. Castellani. Plant extracts from Matricaria
chamomilla have been examined in vivo for their capacity to destroy Acanthamoeba cells.
Acanthamoeba trophozoites (6 x 104
cells per ml) were inoculated into the eyes of healthy
BALB/C mice (Mus musculus) and used for histological tests. The effects of Matricaria
chamomilla aqueous plant extract on mice with healthy eyes showed that the epithelial layer
healed, returning to its standard histological structure, and the protozoa went away.
Keywords
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