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Assessment of chitosan nanoparticles in improving the efficacy of nitazoxanide on cryptosporidiosis in immunosuppressed and immunocompetent murine models

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Abstract

Cryptosporidiosis is one of the major causes of diarrhea in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. It is self-limited in immunocompetent individuals. However, in the immunocompromised it can cause life-threatening diarrhea and results in chronic malabsorption of fluids, vitamins and electrolytes resulting in wasting. Our study is concerned with assessing and comparing the efficacy of nitazoxanide (NTZ) alone and NTZ loaded chitosan nanoparticles (NTZ loaded CS NPs) in the treatment of experimental cryptosporidiosis using parasitological and histopathological parameters. One hundred mice were divided into 5 groups (20 mice each). Each group was divided into 2 subgroups according to the immune status [a-immunocompetent, b-immunosuppressed]. group 1: control (healthy), group 2: control infected by Cryptosporidium oocysts, group 3: infected treated by NTZ, group 4: infected then treated by NTZ loaded CS NPs and group 5: infected then treated by chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs) alone. Treatment of Cryptosporidium infected mice with NTZ loaded on CS NPs resulted in the highest significant reduction in oocysts shedding in both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed groups followed by treatment with NTZ form then by treatment with CS NPs alone. The treatment with NTZ loaded CS NPs displayed a remarkable improvement of the histopathological changes of the intestine, liver and lung while NTZ treated group showed some improvement. Treatment with NTZ loaded CS NPs in murine cryptosporidiosis gave the best results as it caused marked reduction in fecal oocysts counts and improvement of histopathological changes in immunocompetent and immunosuppressed groups.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Professor Rabab Sayed Zalat Professor of Medical Parasitology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt, for providing Cryptosporidium oocysts. Special thanks to Hayam Elsaid Rashed professor of pathology, Zagazig University, for her assistance in interpretation of histopathology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt

    Howayda Said Fouad Moawad, Mohamed Hegab Abd El-Hady Hegab, Maha Saber Reda Badawey, Shaimaa Elsayed Ashoush, Shereen Mahmoud Ibrahim & Amira Abd El-Lateef Saleh Ali

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  1. Howayda Said Fouad Moawad
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  2. Mohamed Hegab Abd El-Hady Hegab
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  3. Maha Saber Reda Badawey
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  4. Shaimaa Elsayed Ashoush
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  5. Shereen Mahmoud Ibrahim
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  6. Amira Abd El-Lateef Saleh Ali
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation was perfomed by Howayda Said Fouad Moawad, data collection and analysis were performed by Maha Saber Reda Badawey, Amira Abd El-Lateef Saleh Ali and Shereen Mahmoud Ibrahim. The study was finalized by Mohamed Hegab Abd El-Hady Hegab. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Shaimaa Elsayed Ashoush and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Amira Abd El-Lateef Saleh Ali.

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The study was accepted by the Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Medicine, and Zagazig University. All techniques related to animal experimentation in this study met the International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals as issued by the International Organizations of Medical Sciences.

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Moawad, H.S.F., Hegab, M.H.A.EH., Badawey, M.S.R. et al. Assessment of chitosan nanoparticles in improving the efficacy of nitazoxanide on cryptosporidiosis in immunosuppressed and immunocompetent murine models. J Parasit Dis 45, 606–619 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-020-01337-y

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