Battah, Basem (57189301778)Basem (57189301778)BattahChianese, Teresa (57473596300)Teresa (57473596300)ChianeseRosati, Luigi (54883256000)Luigi (54883256000)RosatiPetretto, Giacomo (13406099400)Giacomo (13406099400)PetrettoSoukkarieh, Chadi (6504550638)Chadi (6504550638)SoukkariehFerrari, Marco (56816251400)Marco (56816251400)FerrariMazzarello, Vittorio (6602500321)Vittorio (6602500321)MazzarelloBarac, Aleksandra (55550748700)Aleksandra (55550748700)BaracPeric, Aleksandar (36763628500)Aleksandar (36763628500)PericDonadu, Matthew Gavino (56717647800)Matthew Gavino (56717647800)Donadu2025-07-022025-07-022025https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14030293https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105002054468&doi=10.3390%2fantibiotics14030293&partnerID=40&md5=b4d572bb794da4e3a2fe59df42a4ea5ahttps://remedy.med.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/11402Background: Chemotherapy continues to be the cornerstone for the management of leishmaniasis. The preferred medications are pricey and have a number of unfavorable side effects. These restrictions make it necessary to produce novel antileishmanial chemicals, and plants have opportunities in this respect. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the antileishmanial properties of Thymus syriacus essential oil and its mechanisms of action. Results: Our findings demonstrated that Thymus syriacus essential oil, rich in thymol, exhibited potent antileishmanial activity, with an IC50 value of approximately 1 µg/mL against L. tropica promastigotes. Furthermore, the cell cycle arrest at the sub-G0-G1 phase supported the theory that the leishmanicidal effect was mediated by apoptosis. Methods: The essential oil was characterized using gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Antileishmanial activity against L. tropica promastigotes was assessed, with mechanisms confirmed via flow cytometry. Conclusions: These results confirm the potential of Thymus syriacus essential oil as a promising therapeutic candidate for the treatment of leishmaniasis. © 2025 by the authors.antileishmanialapoptosisessential oilThymus syriacus