ABSTRACT
Trichinellosis is a food-borne parasitic infection causing muscle damage. This study aimed to detect the potential therapeutic effect of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) alone or in combination with albendazole (ALB) on the muscular phase of experimental Trichinella infection in rats. The study was conducted on 70 rats divided into four main groups: healthy non-infected non-treated rats, non-infected rats treated with PRP, infected untreated rats (seven rats in each group), and an infected group of 49 rats. The infected group was further subdivided based on the drug therapy received. The effects of drug therapy were evaluated using parasitological and histopathological analyses. The percent reduction in the number of Trichinella spiralis larvae per gram of muscle in the PRP-treated groups (one, two, and three doses) was 43.1%, 78.8%, and 86.1%, respectively. Groups treated with combined therapy of ALB & PRP (one, two, and three doses) showed overall reduction percentages of 87.7%, 90.9% and 95.2%, respectively. In contrast, the ALB-treated group showed a 69.4% reduction. All results of the abovementioned groups were statistically significant compared to the control-infected non-treated group. The findings of the histopathological analysis were consistent with the parasitological results. Groups receiving combined therapy showed the most significant improvement in terms of the degree of inflammation and fibrosis. It can be concluded that PRP has a modulatory effect on the pathology caused by T. spiralis larvae in the muscular phase of trichinellosis. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the effect of PRP on the muscular phase of T. spiralis infection.
ABSTRACT
Giardia lamblia is one of the most common protozoal parasites in humans, and a major cause of diarrheal illness. Treatment of giardiasis relies on metronidazole (MTZ) and other nitroimidazoles which exhibit some limitations, including variable treatment efficacy and parasite-drug resistance. In this work, we investigated the therapeutic effects of the commercial products of Allium sativum (A. sativum) and Zingiber officinale (Z. officinale), alone and in combination with MTZ, on giardiasis in experimentally infected hamsters. Parasitological assessments: cysts count, cysts viability and trophozoites count, and histopathological assessment were performed. Results revealed that the percentage of reduction in cysts number in the A. sativum, Z. officinale, A. sativum/MTZ, and Z. officinale/MTZ treated groups were of 84.5, 88.9, 82, and 86.1%, respectively, compared to infected non-treated group. While MTZ treated group showed percentage of reduction 79.7%. Regarding the cyst viability, it was reduced by 73.4, 76.9, 64.9, and 70.7%, in the A. sativum, Z. officinale, A. sativum/MTZ, and Z. officinale/MTZ treated groups respectively, compared to 61.9% in the MTZ treated group. For the trophozoites, the percentage of reduction was 64.1, 60.2, 59.4, and 47.3%, respectively, compared to 38.6% in MTZ treated group. The examination of duodenal sections revealed remarkable improvement in the histopathological changes in the A. sativum, Z. officinale, and the MTZ combination groups. In conclusion, A. sativum and Z. officinale preparations showed higher anti-giardial activity compared to MTZ, with higher reduction in Giardia cyst numbers, viability and trophozoite numbers in the experimentally infected hamsters. Further in vivo trials are recommended using A. sativum and Z. officinale preparations in increasing doses to reach a higher cure rate.