Phytochemical Molluscicides and Schistosomiasis: What We Know and What We Still Need to Learn

Abstract

Worldwide schistosomiasis remains a serious public health problem with approximately 67 million people infected and 200 million at risk of infection from inhabiting or transiting endemically active regions. Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East are the main transmission regions of Schistosoma mansoni. The fight against transmission through the use of molluscicides is not recent and has been advocated as the only activity with the possibility of interruption of transmission in small, epidemiologically active outbreaks. Euphorbia milii var. hislopii (syn. splendens) (Des Moulins, 1826) is the most promising for use in official schistosomiasis control programs according to the WHO. In this review, we show that an understanding of some how E. milii latex affects the snail vector and their parasites from a molecular level to field conditions is lacking. On the other hand, this type of treatment could also provide a rationale for the control of schistosomiasis and other parasitosis. Several publications contribute to enforcing the use of E. milii latex in endemic countries as a cheap alternative or complement to mass drug treatment with praziquantel, the only available drug to cure the patients (without preventing re-infection).

Assessment of Amphora coffeaeformis and Scenedesmus dimorphus algae as immunostimulant agents on Biomphlaria alexandrina snails against Schistosoma mansoni

“…Schistosomiasis remains a serious public health problem around the world particularly in Africa, South America, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. The use of molluscicides to control transmission is not recent (Augusto and Mello-Silva 2018). Recently, there has been an increased focus on immunostimulants to improve the host defense response and increase resistance to various diseases.…”

In Vitro Cercaricidal and Schistosomicidal Activities of the Raffia Wine and Hydroethanolic Extracts of Pedilanthus tithymaloides Linn (Poit). Stem Barks

“…erefore, although other possible active compounds might be present in the extract, we could link the cercaricidal activity of P. tithymaloides to the annotated diterpenoids 1 and 2. It has also been reported that the efficacy of Origanum compactum against S. haematobium cercariae was attributed to its terpenoids [51]. Most recently, Mohammed et al [48] have assigned the anthelmintic activity of the aqueous extract of Caralluma dalzielli against the cercariae stage of S. mansoni to his high terpenoids content.…”

Effect of some medicinal plant extracts as molluscicidal and apoptotic agents on Biomphalaria alexandrina snails

“…Moringa oleifera Lamarck (Family: Moringaceae) is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions (Okonkwo et al, 2014). The extract of M. oleifera seeds contained bioactive molecules including saponins, lectins, (Ibrahim and Abdalla, 2017) which were known by its molluscicidal activity (Augusto and de Mello-Silva, 2018). Francis et al (2002) reported that the molluscicidal activity of saponins is due to their characteristic detergent effect on epithelial tissues of the snails and that of Flavonoids may act by inhibiting the detoxification system of the snail (de Souza et al, 2014).…”