Preventive chemotherapy with praziquantel is the mainstay of schistosomiasis control. However, drug resistance is an imminent threat, particularly with large-scale administration of praziquantel, in addition to much less efficacy against young schistosomes. Several biological activities of limonin have been explored such as insecticidal, insect antifeedant, and growth-regulating activity on insects as well as antimalarial, antiviral, anticancer, cholesterol-lowering, and antioxidant activities. This study investigates limonin as an alternative antischistosomal compound using two novel, single, oral dose regimens. In the current work, the therapeutic efficacy of different limonin dosing protocols was evaluated in experimentally infected mice harboring Schistosoma mansoni (Egyptian strain) juvenile or adult stages. Oral administration of limonin in a single dose of 50 or 100 mg/kg on day 21 post-infection (p.i.) resulted in a significant worm burden reduction of 70.0 and 83.33 %, respectively. The same dose given on day 56 p.i. reduced total worm burdens by 41.09 and 60.27 %, respectively. In addition, significant reductions of 34.90 and 47.16 % in the hepatic and 46.67 and 56.1 % in the intestinal tissue egg loads, respectively, associated with significant alterations in the oogram pattern with elevated dead egg levels. Limonin produced ameliorations of hepatic pathology with reduction in dimensions and number of granulomas. Limonin also produced a variety of tegumental alterations in treated worms including tubercular disruption, edema, blebbing, and ulcerations. Results obtained by this work elucidated promising limonin bioactivity against S. mansoni juvenile and adult stages and provided a basis for subsequent experimental and clinical trials.
Abstract. CC-BY 4.0 International license It is made available under a (which was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/347278 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Jun. 14, 2018;
26Schistosomiasis is one of the most socioeconomically exhausting parasitic 27 infection in tropical and subtropical areas. Praziquantel (PZQ), the only common 28 schistosocidal drug in use, is not efficient enough for treatment of immature infection.
29Arabic gum (AG) is a complex polysaccharide acts as anti-oxidant which modulates the
Author summary
46Schistosomiasis is a major public health threat in many parts of the world, it 47 affects more than 240 million people in more than 70 countries and almost 800 million 48 people are at risk of acquiring this disease. Serious consequences and disabilities might . CC-BY 4.0 International license It is made available under a (which was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/347278 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Jun. 14, 2018;
Background: Bronchial asthma is the most frequent chronic disease in children. Asthma exacerbation is a leading cause of pediatric morbidity and hospitalization, and children's social and emotional lives. Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) has been linked to a lower prevalence of allergy illness and has been regarded as a measure of poor hygiene. Microbe-induced Th1 cytokines such as gamma interferon have been postulated to mediate the protective impact of microbial exposure. The goal of the study was to investigate the imaginable association between T. gondii infection and asthma in children. Methods: A comparative case-control study was conducted on patients at Benha University Hospital's Pediatric Department and Allergy & Asthma clinic from October 2016 to October 2017. This study included 105 children (35 with resistant bronchial asthma, 35 with responsive bronchial asthma, and 35 healthy control children). They were tested for anti-T. gondii IgG seropositivity using ELISA. Results: Our results showed that only two patients (5.7%) of 35 were positive for Toxoplasma in the resistant asthmatic group. Still, four patients (11.4%) of 35 among the responsive asthma group were positive, while nine patients (25.7%) of 35 in the control group were positive for T.gondii IgG. Conclusions: Our findings show a link between Toxoplasma infection and reduced allergy symptoms in the groups investigated. Infection with T.gondii may help prevent bronchial asthma from developing.
Praziquantel (PZQ), the only common schistosocidal drug in use, is not efficacious for treatment of immature schistosomiasis infection. Arabic gum (AG) is a complex polysaccharide that acts as an antioxidant which modulates the inflammatory and/or immunological processes. This study explores for the first time, the antischistosomal properties of AG in mice infected with the immature stage of Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni). Mice were divided into four groups: control group (infected nontreated), AG treated group, PZQ treated group, and AG+PZQ treated group. Oral administration of AG in a dose of 1 g/kg body weight, daily for 3 consecutive weeks post-infection (PI) resulted in a statistically significant (P-value 0.002 and 0.008 respectively) lower worm burden in both AG group and AG+PZQ group compared to PZQ and control groups. AG+PZQ group always showed the best results when compared with other groups regarding tissue egg load and oogram pattern. AG, both alone and in combination with PZQ, decreased the granuloma number and diameter; with increasing the cellularity and the number of degenerated Schistosoma eggs inside granulomas. Results obtained by this work elucidated a promising AG bioactivity against S. mansoni immature stages and provided a platform for subsequent experimental studies to illuminate the academia more about this novel and " green" antischistosomal agent.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.