Activity of Matricaria chamomilla essential oil against anisakiasis

Abstract The increase in diagnosed cases of anisakiasis and the virtual absence of effective treatments have prompted the search for new active compounds against Anisakis L 3 larvae. The biocidal efficacy against different pathogens shown by various essential oils (EO) led us to study the Matricaria chamomilla EO and two of its main components (chamazulene and α-bisabolol) against the L 3 larvae of Anisakis type I. The activity of M. chamomilla EO, chamazulene and α-bisabolol was established by in vitro and in vivo experiments. The EO (125 μg/ml) caused the death of all nematodes, which showed cuticle changes and intestinal wall rupture. In the in vivo assays, only 2.2% ± 1.8 of infected rats treated with M. chamomilla EO showed gastric wall lesions in comparison to 93.3% ± 3.9 of control. Chamazulene was ineffective, while α-bisabolol showed a high activity to that of the EO in vitro tests but proved less active in vivo . These findings suggest that the larvicidal activity may result from the synergistic action of different compounds of M. chamomilla EO. Neither of the tested products induces irritative damage in the intestinal tissues. In conclusion, M. chamomilla EO is a good candidate for further investigation as a biocidal agent against Anisakis type I.