An in vivo appraisal of Punica granatum peel extract's ultrastructural effect on cystic echinococcosis in mice.

In the past decade, interest has significantly increased regarding the medicinal and nutritional benefits of pomegranate (Punica granatum) peel. This study examined the effects of using pomegranate peel extract (PGE) alone and in combination with albendazole (ABZ) on ultrastructural and immunological changes in cystic echinococcosis in laboratory-infected mice. Results revealed that the smallest hydatid cyst size and weight (0.48 ± 0.47mm, 0.17 ± 0.18 gm) with the highest drug efficacy (56.2%) was detected in the PGE + ABZ group, which also exhibited marked histopathological improvement. Ultrastructural changes recorded by transmission electron microscopy including fragmentation of the nucleus, glycogen depletion, and multiple lysosomes in vacuolated cytoplasm were more often observed in PGE + ABZ group. IFN-γ levels were significantly increased in the group treated with ABZ, with a notable reduction following PGE treatment, whether administered alone or in combination with ABZ. Thus, PGE enhanced the therapeutic efficiency of ABZ, with improvement in histopathological and ultrastructural changes.

Tissue and circulating levels of IL-17A and FoxP3+ in patients with scabies: Correlation with clinical features.

The scabies mite is known to induce a complicated immune response that involves both innate and long-term adaptive immunity. Many immune effectors and pathways are involved. Th17/Treg balance can influence the complex immune response to scabies. The immunological effectors including IL-17A, as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, and Treg cells, anti-inflammatory regulatory T cells, are essential for preserving cutaneous immunological homeostasis. So, evaluating these immune effectors may help in comprehending the pathophysiology of scabies and facilitate the development of new treatment approaches. This study examined the expression of IL-17A and FoxP3+ in the skin and serum of 50 scabies patients and 25 healthy controls. An assessment of their correlation with clinical features was performed. Regarding tissue response, scabietic patients exhibited a significant increase in IL-17A and FoxP3+ expression in their epidermis and dermis compared to controls (P<0.001), but the correlation between these factors was not significant in either area (P>0.05). Also, patients showed a significant increase in serum IL-17A levels compared to controls (P<0.001), with a significant association between serum IL-17A levels and lesion severity, but no significant correlation was observed between skin and serum responses (P>0.05). In conclusion, there was increased expression of both IL-17A and FoxP3+, with FoxP3+ being significantly more abundant than IL-17A in the skin of scabies patients. Skin FoxP3+ up-regulation has been linked to the severity of the condition.

Anti-toxoplasmic effects of celecoxib alone and combined with spiramycin in experimental mice.

Even though toxoplasmosis is a worldwide parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), the available drugs used for the treatment of symptomatic toxoplasmosis have multiple drawbacks. So, there is a considerable need to discover new potential therapeutic agents. The current study aimed to assess the effect of celecoxib (CELE) alone or combined with spiramycin against chronic toxoplasmosis in experimentally infected mice. The study documented the reduction rate of T. gondii cysts in brain tissues and ultrastructural changes through transmission electron microscopy after treatment. We also investigated pathological changes in the brain, liver, lung, and spleen, as well as the expression of TGF-ß, iNOS, and pSTAT-1 in brain tissues. Other markers for kidney function and serum levels of interleukins 10 and 12 were also assessed. The study reported a reduction rate of T. gondii brain cyst count of 32.9 % after CELE treatment, 71.7 % after spiramycin treatment, and 75.7 % after combined treatment. Furthermore, the CELE and spiramycin combination improved the ultrastructure and histopathology in brain tissues while decreasing TGF-ß, iNOS, and pSTAT-1 expression. The combined therapy ameliorated the inflammation of the liver, lung, and spleen, upregulated the IL-12 level, reduced the IL-10 level, and was accompanied by a reduction in creatinine and urea in serum. In conclusion, CELE increased spiramycin therapeutic efficacy, and their combination showed a better response than spiramycin alone. Thus, the CELE combination with spiramycin represents a hopeful therapy against chronic toxoplasmosis.

Evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of albendazole-loaded silver nanoparticles against Echinococcus granulosus infection in experimental mice.

The drug of choice for treatment of hydatid disease, albendazole (ABZ) is a poorly water-soluble drug; thus, enhancing its solubility is required. Among metal nanoparticles (NPs), silver (Ag) NPs showed antimicrobial efficacies. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate nanosilver particles (Ag NPs) free or combined with albendazole against Echinococcus granulosus infection in vivo. In this study, besides the normal control group (GI) (n = 5), 80 mice were infected with 2000 viable protoscoleces intraperitoneally then divided equally (n = 20) into the infected control (GII), ABZ-treated (GIII), nanosilver-treated (GIV) and ABZ-loaded-Ag NPs-treated (GV) groups. On the 90th post-infection day, treatment was started and continued for 8 weeks then the experiment was terminated. Each mouse was subjected to measurement of hydatid cysts' sizes and weights, serum IFN-γ, liver enzymes; histopathological and transmission electron microscopy studies. In all treated groups, there were significant reductions of hydatid cysts' sizes and weights; however, the highest efficacy rate (63.9%) was detected in group V associated with obvious ultrastructure alterations of the cysts. The liver tissues of group II showed intense granulomatous reactions, congestion, fibrosis, necrosis and steatosis associated with significant increases in serum IFN-γ and liver enzymes. Interestingly, the best antiparasitic effect and the most significant reduction of IFN-γ towards the normal values were found in GV. Moreover, Ag NPs had reduced the toxic effects of ABZ such as necrosis, steatosis and the elevated serum liver enzymes. Therefore, loading ABZ on Ag NPs could be a potential method to improve ABZ efficacy against hydatid disease.