The potent effect of silymarin combination with praziquantel or mirazid for schistosoma mansoni treatment in infected male swiss albino mice

Abstract

This work was carried out to investigate the effect of silymarin combination in the therapeutic pl ane of schi stosomi asi s wi th prazi quantel or mi razi d to enhance the l i ver and reduce fibrosis. Mice were divided into 2 main groups, the 1st uninfected group served as control and the 2nd group infected subcutaneously with 60 cercaria of S. mansoni per each. The infected group was subdivided into 5 subgroups, the 1st kept untreated, the 2nd and 3rd treated at the 7th week of infection with (600 mg/kg) of PZQ orally for 3 consecutive days, while the 3rd treated also orally with (150 mg/kg) of silymarin daily for 11 weeks. The 4th and 5th groups treated orally at the 7th week of infection with 600 mg/kg of MZ for 3 consecutive days, while the 5th group treated orally also with 150 mg/kg of silymarin daily for 11weeks. IgG determination showed high l evel in the untreated i nfected group. Furthermore, the infected groups treated with PZQ and PZQ with silymarin displayed the lower levels than treated wi th MZ. Addi ti onal l y, the untreated i nfected group showed severe pathol ogi cal changes as hyaline degeneration, inflammation, presence of worm burdens in dilated portal vei ns, granul omas as wel l as deposi ti ons of col l agenous and reti cul ar fi bers i ndi cated intense fibrosis. Treatment with PZQ alone resulted in reduction of pathological signs and decreasi ng of granul omas. Combi nati on wi th si l ymari n to PZQ therapy reveal ed more improvement for liver besides to lowering of granulomas areas and volumes and decreasing of fibrosis. Whereas, treatment with MZ was less effective than PZQ to reduce granulomas areas, volumes and fibrosis. Although, combination of silymarin to MZ treatment resulted in more curative signs and reduction of granulomas areas, volumes and fibrosis. Furthermore, the present study concl uded that PZQ sti l l the more effecti ve drug of schi stosomi asi s treatment than MZ. The silymarin is very useful in schistosomiasis treatment when combined with PZQ or MZ due to its anti-fibrotic effect.