Department of Biological Sciences, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Acta Trop. 2021 Aug;220:105945. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.105945. Epub 2021 May 1.
Schistosomiasis continues to pose significant public health problems in many developing countries. Mass drug administration (MDA) is the most adopted control option but there is increasing evidence for the development of praziquantel-resistant Schistosoma strains. This shortcoming has necessitated the search for other effective methods for the control of schistosomiasis. The breaking of Schistosoma transmission cycles through the application of molluscicides into snail infested freshwater bodies has yielded positive outcomes when integrated with MDA in some countries. However, few of such effective molluscicides are currently available, and where available, their application is restricted due to toxicity concerns. Some nanotized particles with molluscicidal activities against the different stages of snail intermediate hosts of schistosomes have been reported. Importantly, the curcumin-nisin nanoparticle synthesized by our group was very effective and it showed no significant toxicity in a mouse model and brine shrimps. This, therefore, offers the possibility of developing a molluscicide that is not only safe for man but also is environmentally friendly. This paper reviews nanoparticles with molluscicidal potential. The methods of their formulation, activities, probable mechanisms of actions, and their toxicity profiles are discussed. More research should be made in this field as it offers great potential for the development of new molluscicides.
血吸虫病在许多发展中国家仍然构成重大公共卫生问题。大规模药物治疗 (MDA) 是最采用的控制选项，但越来越多的证据表明存在对吡喹酮耐药的血吸虫菌株。这一缺点使得有必要寻找其他有效方法来控制血吸虫病。在一些国家，将杀螺剂应用于受蜗牛感染的淡水体中，打破血吸虫传播周期，并与 MDA 结合使用，取得了积极的效果。然而，目前有效的杀螺剂很少，而且在有的情况下，由于毒性问题，其应用受到限制。已经报道了一些对血吸虫中间宿主的不同阶段具有杀螺活性的纳米粒子。重要的是，我们小组合成的姜黄素-乳链菌肽纳米粒子非常有效，在小鼠模型和卤虫中没有显示出明显的毒性。因此，有可能开发出一种不仅对人类安全而且对环境友好的杀螺剂。本文综述了具有杀螺潜力的纳米粒子。讨论了它们的配方方法、活性、可能的作用机制及其毒性概况。应该在这一领域进行更多的研究，因为它为开发新的杀螺剂提供了巨大的潜力。
