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Anthelmintic potential of sulphonamides and Cucurbita pepo seeds extract on Heterophyes heterophyes experimentally infected mice

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Abstract

Since 1980s, no new drugs were described for treatment of heterophyiasis with many side effects of the currently used drug; praziquantel. This work aimed to study the therapeutic effect of clorsulon (sulphoamide) and aqueous extract of Cucurbita pepo in the treatment of experimental heterophyiasis. Mice were infected with encysted metacercaiae of Heterophyes heterophyes obtained from infected fish flesh. Mice were divided into five groups according to the drug used. The treatment started two weeks post-infection. Our results showed reduction of the recovered worm count with high efficacy of clorsulon and a moderate effect of C. pepo which was increased in the second week with much improvement of the intestinal histopathological changes. Scanning electron microscopy of adult H. heterophyes obtained from the intestine of mice treated with praziquantel appeared contracted with multiple small vesicles over the dorsal surface. Clorsulon produced loss of the spines on the lateral sides of the parasite with few vesicles whereas C. pepo seeds showed complete loss of the spines. In conclusion, clorsulon has high efficacy against H. heterophyes infection. Although the extract of C. pepo showed moderate curative effect against this parasite, it can be used in combination with other agents for a better synergistic effect.

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Funding

The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

    Dalia S. Ashour, Fetouh A. Deyab, Kamal F. Eliwa & Samy I. El-Kowrany

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  1. Dalia S. Ashour
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  2. Fetouh A. Deyab
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  3. Kamal F. Eliwa
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  4. Samy I. El-Kowrany
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by DSA, FAD, KFE, SIE. The first draft of the manuscript was written by DSA and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Dalia S. Ashour.

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The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

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This study was approved by Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University and conducted according to the national and institutional guidelines of the Laboratory Animals Centre.

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Ashour, D.S., Deyab, F.A., Eliwa, K.F. et al. Anthelmintic potential of sulphonamides and Cucurbita pepo seeds extract on Heterophyes heterophyes experimentally infected mice. J Parasit Dis 47, 697–706 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-023-01620-8

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