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Factors affecting the anthelmintic efficacy of papaya latex in vivo: host sex and intensity of infection

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Abstract

The development of plant-derived cysteine proteinases, such as those in papaya latex, as novel anthelmintics requires that the variables affecting efficacy be fully evaluated. Here, we conducted two experiments, the first to test for any effect of host sex and the second to determine whether the intensity of the worm burden carried by mice would influence efficacy. In both experiments, we used the standard C3H mouse reference strain in which papaya latex supernatant (PLS) consistently shows >80 % reduction in Heligmosomoides bakeri worm burdens, but to broaden the perspective, we also included for comparison mice of other strains that are known to respond more poorly to treatment with papaya latex. Our results confirmed that there is a strong genetic influence affecting efficacy of PLS in removing adult worm burdens. However, there was no effect of host sex on efficacy (C3H and NIH) and no effect of infection intensity (C3H and BALB/c). These results offer optimism that plant-derived cysteine proteinases (CPs), such as these from papaya latex, can function as effective anthelmintics, with neither host sex nor infection intensity presenting further hurdles to impede their development for future medicinal and veterinary usage.

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Acknowledgments

WL was supported by a postgraduate studentship from the Government of Tanzania and FM by the government of Malaysia. We dedicate this paper to Dr. Wenceslaus Luoga who sadly was killed in a road accident in July 2013 shortly after returning to Tanzania on the successful completion of his post-graduate studies at the University of Nottingham.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

    Wenceslaus Luoga, Fadlul Mansur, Ann Lowe, Ian R. Duce & Jerzy M. Behnke

  2. Department of Life Sciences, Mkwawa University College of Education, Iringa, Tanzania

    Wenceslaus Luoga

  3. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Fadlul Mansur

  4. Department of Infection and Immunity, Medical School, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield, UK, S10 2RX

    David. J. Buttle

Authors
  1. Wenceslaus Luoga
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  2. Fadlul Mansur
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  3. Ann Lowe
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  4. Ian R. Duce
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  5. David. J. Buttle
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  6. Jerzy M. Behnke
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Correspondence to Jerzy M. Behnke.

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Luoga, W., Mansur, F., Lowe, A. et al. Factors affecting the anthelmintic efficacy of papaya latex in vivo: host sex and intensity of infection. Parasitol Res 114, 2535–2541 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4456-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4456-5

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