| Autor: |
El-Kady AM; Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt., Abdel-Rahman IAM; Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt., Fouad SS; Veterinary Clinical Pathology, Qena University Hospital, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt., Allemailem KS; Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia., Istivan T; Biosciences and Food Technology, School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia., Ahmed SFM; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag 82524, Egypt., Hasan AS; Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt., Osman HA; Tropical Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt., Elshabrawy HA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Sam Houston State University, Conroe, TX 77304, USA. |
| Abstrakt: |
Giardiasis is a major diarrheal disease affecting approximately 2.5 million children annually in developing countries. Several studies have reported the resistance of Giardia lamblia ( G. lamblia ) to multiple drugs. Therefore, identifying an effective drug for giardiasis is a necessity. This study examined the antiparasitic effect of Punica granatum (pomegranate) and evaluated its therapeutic efficacy in rats infected with G. lamblia . In vitro study showed high efficacy of pomegranate peel ethanolic extract in killing G. lamblia cysts as demonstrated by eosin vital staining. We showed that treating infected rats with pomegranate extract resulted in a marked reduction in the mean number of G. lamblia cysts and trophozoites in feces and intestine respectively. Interestingly, the number of G. lamblia trophozoites and cysts were significantly lower in the pomegranate extract-treated group compared to the metronidazole-positive control group. Moreover, pomegranate extract treatment significantly induced nitric oxide (NO) and reduced serum IL-6 and TNF-α, compared to infected untreated rats. Histological and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination of the jejunum and duodenum of pomegranate extract-treated animals confirmed the antiparasitic effect of the extract, and demonstrated the restoration of villi structure with reduction of villi atrophy, decreased infiltration of lymphocytes, and protection of intestinal cells from apoptotic cell death. In conclusion, our data show that the pomegranate peel extract is effective in controlling G. lamblia infections, which suggests that it could be a viable treatment option for giardiasis. |
