Investigating therapeutic efficacy of silymarin on intestinal and muscular phases of trichinellosis: an experimental study.
Walaa Ramadan Waly, Mousa Abdel Gawad Mousa Ismail, Marwa Ahmed Ghieth, Samah Sayed Abdel Gawad, Eman Sayed El-Wakil, Wegdan Mohamed Abd El Wahab, Marwa Mohamed Ahmed, Amr M A Mousa, Mona Ibrahim Ali
Author Information
Walaa Ramadan Waly: Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt. ORCID
Mousa Abdel Gawad Mousa Ismail: Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
Marwa Ahmed Ghieth: Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
Samah Sayed Abdel Gawad: Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
Eman Sayed El-Wakil: Department of Parasitology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Kornaish El-Nile St, Giza, 12411 Egypt. ORCID
Wegdan Mohamed Abd El Wahab: Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt. ORCID
Marwa Mohamed Ahmed: Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
Amr M A Mousa: Department of Pathology, King Salman International University, Tur Sinai, Egypt.
Mona Ibrahim Ali: Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
Trichinellosis, one of the parasitic zoonoses, is treated with a benzimidazole derivative, primarily albendazole. However, this treatment has a lot of side effects and is not sufficiently effective in killing the encysted larvae. Silymarin, a polyphenolic flavonoid, has been proven to have anti-parasitic activities and various medical uses. The current study aimed to evaluate silymarin efficacy against intestinal and muscular phases of murine trichinellosis compared to the standard drug; albendazole. Forty-eight mice were divided into four discrete groups: healthy model; diseased model; silymarin treatment; and albendazole treatment. The assessment of therapy efficacy was conducted parasitologically through counting the adult worms and muscle larvae, histopathologically through examination of the intestinal and muscular tissues, and, immunohistochemically through muscular expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor. Both silymarin and albendazole-treated groups demonstrated a statistically significant decrease ( < 0.001) in the mean count of adult and the encysted larvae when compared to the diseased model, with an improvement of intestinal and muscular inflammation, and degeneration of the encysted larvae in muscles. Also, vascular endothelial growth factor immunoreactivity was significantly reduced in both silymarin, and albendazole-treated groups compared to the diseased model. Silymarin recorded antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, and antiangiogenic effects on experimental trichinellosis.
