The superior efficacy of chloroquine over buparvaquone in reducing the chronic cerebral Toxoplasma gondii cysts load and improving the ultrastructural pathology in an immunocompromised murine model.

Toxoplasma gondii, the etiologic agent of toxoplasmosis, infects about 30 - 50% of the world population. The currently available anti-Toxoplasma agents have serious limitations. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of two antimalarials; buparvaquone (BPQ) and chloroquine (CQ), on immunocompromised mice with chronic cerebral toxoplasmosis, using spiramycin as a reference drug. The assessed parameters included the estimation of mortality rates (MR) among mice of the different study groups, in addition to the examination of the ultrastructural changes in the brain tissues by transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that only CQ treatment could decrease the MR significantly with zero deaths, while both spiramycin and BPQ caused an insignificant reduction of MR compared to the infected non-treated group. All the used drugs decreased the number of mature ruptured cysts significantly compared to the infected non-treated group, while only CQ increased the number of atrophic and necrotic cysts significantly. Furthermore, both spiramycin and BPQ improved the microvasculopathy and neurodegeneration accompanying the infection with different degrees of reactive astrocytosis and neuronal damage with the best results regarding the repair of the microvascular damage with less active glial cells, and normal neurons in the CQ-treated group. In conclusion, this study sheds light on CQ and its excellent impact on treating chronic cerebral toxoplasmosis in an immunocompromised mouse model.

Investigation of The Effect of Curcumin on Oxidative Stress, Local Inflammatory Response, COX-2 Expression, and Microvessel Density in Trichinella Spiralis Induced Enteritis, Myositis and Myocarditis in Mice.

Background: Curcumin exerts anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that have proven to be of value in the management of several parasitic infections. Objective: Investigation of the value of curcumin in the management of trichinosis either alone or as an adjuvant to albendazole. Methods: Animals received either curcumin 150 mg/kg, curcumin 300 mg/kg, albendazole 50 mg/ kg or combined curcumin 150mg/kg and albendazole 50 mg/kg and were compared with control infected and non-infected mice. Estimation of intestinal and muscular parasitic load and blood malondialdehyde level, in addition to the histopathological examination of small intestine, skeletal muscle tissue and heart was performed. Also, assessment of the local expression of cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme (COX-2) and CD34 in these samples was done by immunohistochemistry. Results: Curcumin was found efficient in reducing parasitic load. It also lowered serum MDA level, local COX-2 and CD34 expression. An evident anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin was observed in intestinal, skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle histopathological sections. Conclusion: The anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-angiogenic effects of curcumin can help to improve trichinellosis-induced pathology. Curcumin can therefore be of value as an adjuvant therapy to conventional antiparasitic agents and can also produce promising results when used alone at higher doses.