Evaluation of the efficacy of Perillyl alcohol in the treatment of Eimeria tenella infection

Recently, there has been an increased focus on the development of novel anti-parasitic drugs that exhibit both highly efficacy and low toxicity due to growing concerns associated with the widespread use of such drugs. Natural products have garnered significant interest owing to their diverse biological activities and minimal adverse effects. In this study, we assessed the anti-Eimeria tenella activity of four plant compounds belonging to the Lamiaceae family, namely Perillyl alcohol, Carvone, Menthone and Perilla aldehyde. Our in vitro experiments demonstrated that all four compounds, particularly Perillyl alcohol, exhibited potent inhibition against sporulation formation of E. tenella oocyst. Furthermore, our in vivo tests revealed that treatment with these four compounds at a dose of 200 mg/kg significantly reduced oocyst shedding as well as cecal lesions and weight loss caused by E. tenella infection, thereby demonstrating moderate anti-E. tenella activity. Notably, Perillyl alcohol displayed the highest efficacy against E. tenella with an anticoccidial index (ACI) value of 161.4. In summary, our findings indicate that these four compounds derived from the Lamiaceae family exhibit anti-E. tenella activity both in vitro and in vivo, with Perillyl alcohol displaying particularly robust inhibitory effects on E. tenella. It is worthy of further investigation to explore its mechanism of action and potential therapeutic applications.