Department of Laboratory Sciences, College of Science & Arts, Al-Rass, Qassim University, Al-Rass, 51921, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Zoology and Entomology, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Ain Helwan,, 11795, Egypt.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 May;27(15):18699-18707. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-08356-5. Epub 2020 Mar 23.
Neuro-schistosomiasis can induce neurological symptoms and severe disability. Since the resistance against the chemotherapy "praziquantel" was reported, the aim of the present study was investigating the anti-neuro-schistosomal effects of ZnO nanoparticles and/or L-carnitine (as free radicals scavenger) on schistosome-infected mice, where technology of nanoparticles has come to the forefront in the medical diagnosis and therapeutic drug delivery. In the human body, nanoscale-sized particles can move freely and reveal unique biological, mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. In the present study, mice were divided into five groups. The first group served as the non-infected control group. Groups II, III, IV, and V were infected with cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni. Mice of groups III and IV were treated with ZnO nanoparticles (5.6 mg/kg b. wt.) and L-carnitine (500 mg/kg b. wt.), respectively, after 47 days post-infection. Finally, mice of the fifth group were injected with ZnO nanoparticles and after 1 h, the mice were intraperitoneally injected with L-carnitine once daily for 5 days. On day 52, post-infection mice of all groups were cervically decapitated. The treatment of ZnO nanoparticles and/or L-carnitine to schistosome-infected mice decreased brain oxidative stress parameters, where glutathione level and catalase activity were significantly increased as compared to schistosome-infected group. On the contrary, the treatment decreased nitrite/nitrate, malondialdehyde, and reactive oxygen species levels significantly. In addition, ZnO nanoparticles and/or L-carnitine treatment restored DNA laddering profile and improved the brain histopathological impairments resulting from neuro-schistosomiasis. Finally, the ZnO nanoparticle treatment and the co-treatment of ZnO nanoparticles and L-carnitine revealed anti-neuro-schistosomal effects on the infected mice.
神经血吸虫病可引起神经系统症状和严重残疾。自从报道了对化疗药物“吡喹酮”的耐药性以来，本研究旨在研究 ZnO 纳米粒子和/或左旋肉碱（作为自由基清除剂）对感染血吸虫的小鼠的抗神经血吸虫病作用，纳米技术在医学诊断和治疗药物输送方面已经处于领先地位。在人体中，纳米级颗粒可以自由移动，并表现出独特的生物、机械、电气和化学特性。在本研究中，将小鼠分为五组。第一组作为未感染的对照组。第二组、第三组、第四组和第五组分别用曼氏血吸虫尾蚴感染。感染后第 47 天，第三组和第四组的小鼠分别用 ZnO 纳米粒子（5.6mg/kg b.wt.）和左旋肉碱（500mg/kg b.wt.）治疗。最后，第五组的小鼠注射了 ZnO 纳米粒子，1 小时后，每天腹膜内注射左旋肉碱一次，连续 5 天。感染后第 52 天，所有组别的小鼠均断头处死。与感染血吸虫的组相比，用 ZnO 纳米粒子和/或左旋肉碱治疗感染血吸虫的小鼠可降低大脑氧化应激参数，其中谷胱甘肽水平和过氧化氢酶活性显著增加。相反，治疗可显著降低亚硝酸盐/硝酸盐、丙二醛和活性氧的水平。此外，ZnO 纳米粒子和/或左旋肉碱处理可恢复 DNA 梯状图谱，并改善由神经血吸虫病引起的大脑组织病理学损伤。最后，ZnO 纳米粒子的治疗和 ZnO 纳米粒子与左旋肉碱的联合治疗对感染的小鼠具有抗神经血吸虫病作用。
