Parasitological and Biochemical Efficacy of the Active Ingredients of Allium sativum and Curcuma longa in Schistosoma mansoni Infected Mice

Abstract

The active ingredients allicin and curcumin have a wide range of actions against fungi, bacteria, and helminths. Therefore, the study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of allicin (AL) and curcumin (CU) as antischistosomal drugs and their biochemical effects in normal and Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice. Praziquantel (PZQ) was administrated for two successive days while AL or CU was given for two weeks from the week 7th postinfection (PI). The possible effect of different regimens on Schistosoma worms was evaluated by measuring the percentage of the recovered worms, tissue egg load, and oogram pattern. Serum alanine transaminase activity and levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, and uric acid were measured. Liver tissue malondialdehyde and reduced glutathione levels besides, the activities of glutathione-S-transferase, superoxide dismutase and catalase were assessed for the oxidative/antioxidant condition. DNA electrophoresis of liver tissue was used to indicate the degree of fragmentation. There was a significant reduction in the recovered worms and egg load, with a marked change of oogram pattern in all treated groups with PZQ, AL, and CU in comparison with infected-untreated mice. PZQ, AL, and CU prevented most of the hematological and biochemical disorders, as well as significantly improved the antioxidant capacity and enhanced DNA fragmentation in the liver tissue of schistosomiasis mice compared to the infected-untreated group. These promising results suggest that AL and CU are efficient as antischistosomal drugs, and it would be beneficial to test their combination to understand the mechanism of action and the proper period of treatment leading to the best result.

Comparative Screening of the Possible Activity of Rhopilema nomadica Jellyfish Venom Against Different Protista and Invertebrates

“…This can be regarded as a promising point for further concentrations used or even using the venom as a complementary drug against other stages of the parasites. Interestingly, the praziquantel (the antischistosomal medication of preference) has potent efficiency against adults with minor or no effect on the lung stage Schistosoma larvae, as reported in several studies (de Oliveira et al, 2017; Kovač, et al, 2017;Abu Almaaty et al, 2021). From this latter point, there is a need to testify R. nomadica venom against the adult worms.…”

Therapeutic potential of natural products in schistosomiasis-associated liver fibrosis

“…Curcumin (50–200 mg/kg) was found to upregulate MMP-1 and inhibit TIMP-1, resulting in a reduction in liver granuloma volume by up to 79% and collagen content by 38.6% ( Li et al, 2007 ). Low expression of GSH, GST, SOD, and CAT caused by S. mansoni infection increased significantly after 2 weeks of treatment with 40 mg/kg curcumin ( Abu Almaaty et al, 2021 ). A total dose of 400 mg/kg curcumin treatment was found to suppress serum levels of IL-12 and TNF-α in the infected group, possibly related to immune regulation triggered by inhibition of NF-κB activity ( Jagetia and Aggarwal, 2007 ; Allam, 2009 ).…”

Garlic Extract: Inhibition of Biochemical and Biophysical Changes in Glycated HSA

“…Some of garlic's anti-diabetic health-promoting properties include hyperinsulinemia, promotion of antioxidant levels, and catalase activity [26]. Garlic has been recently reported to have several beneficial health effects, such as lowering of high blood pressure [27], hepatoprotection [25], cardiovascular atherosclerotic protection [28], immunomodulator effect [29], and anti-schistosomal properties [30].…”