Scolicidal activity of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles against protoscolices of hydatid cysts

Abstract

Hydatidosis is a sickness that affects human and farm animals. This disease is deemed as a public health problem in different regions of the world until nowadays. Surgical overlaps is the best way to treat the disease, while the risk of surgery lies in the possibility of cyst rupture and leakage of protoscolices and the recurrence of infection again, this prompted researchers to use scolicidal agents before surgery such as ethanol, plant extracts, to reduce parasite spread and recurrence of infection, recently researchers have been using nanoparticles as a scolicidal agent, like gold nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, selenium nanoparticles, and others. This research aims to evaluate the fatal effect of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles to protoscolices of hydatid cysts. The Protoscolices were collected from sheep livers infected with hydatid cyst disease. The protoscolices were treated with different concentrations (250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 μg/ ml) of ZrO2 NPs. The viability of protoscolices was determined by using an eosin staining method after 15, 30, and 60 min. The results showed that the concentrations of 1000, 2000, and 4000 µg/ml were significantly effective in the killing of protoscolices after 60 min., where the fatality rate of protoscolices was 49.6%, 52.7%, and 53.1% respectively when compared with the control group 38.5% (p<0.05).