Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
Parasitol Res. 2023 Dec;122(12):2807-2818. doi: 10.1007/s00436-023-07964-7. Epub 2023 Sep 22.
Trichinellosis is a cosmopolitan zoonosis that is caused mainly by Trichinella spiralis infection. The human disease ranges from mild to severe and fatality may occur. The treatment of trichinellosis still presents a challenge for physicians. Anti-inflammatory drugs are usually added to antiparasitic agents to alleviate untoward immuno-inflammatory responses and possible tissue damage but they are not without adverse effects. Thus, there is a need for the discovery of safe and effective compounds with anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the activity of β-glucan during enteral and muscular phases of experimental T. spiralis infection as well as its therapeutic potential as an adjuvant to albendazole in treating trichinellosis. For this aim, mice were infected with T. spiralis and divided into the following groups: early and late β-glucan treatment, albendazole treatment, and combined treatment groups. Infected mice were subjected to assessment of parasite burden, immunological markers, and histopathological changes in the small intestines and muscles. Immunohistochemical evaluation of NF-κB expression in small intestinal and muscle tissues was carried out in order to investigate the mechanism of action of β-glucan. Interestingly, β-glucan potentiated the efficacy of albendazole as noted by the significant reduction of counts of muscle larvae. The inflammatory responses in the small intestine and skeletal muscles were mitigated with some characteristic qualitative changes. β-glucan also increased the expression of NF-κB in tissues which may account for some of its effects. In conclusion, β-glucan showed a multifaceted beneficial impact on the therapeutic outcome of Trichinella infection and can be regarded as a promising adjuvant in the treatment of trichinellosis.
旋毛虫病是一种世界性的人畜共患病，主要由旋毛虫感染引起。人类疾病的严重程度从轻微到严重不等，可能会导致死亡。旋毛虫病的治疗仍然是医生面临的挑战。抗炎药物通常与抗寄生虫药物一起使用，以减轻不良的免疫炎症反应和可能的组织损伤，但它们并非没有不良反应。因此，需要发现具有抗炎特性的安全有效的化合物。本研究旨在评估β-葡聚糖在实验性旋毛虫感染的肠内和肌肉期的活性及其作为阿苯达唑佐剂治疗旋毛虫病的治疗潜力。为此，将小鼠感染旋毛虫，并分为以下几组：早期和晚期β-葡聚糖治疗组、阿苯达唑治疗组和联合治疗组。感染的小鼠进行寄生虫负荷、免疫标志物和小肠和肌肉组织的组织病理学变化评估。进行了 NF-κB 在小肠和肌肉组织中的表达的免疫组织化学评估，以研究β-葡聚糖的作用机制。有趣的是，β-葡聚糖增强了阿苯达唑的疗效，肌肉幼虫的计数明显减少。小肠和骨骼肌的炎症反应减轻，伴有一些特征性的定性变化。β-葡聚糖还增加了组织中 NF-κB 的表达，这可能是其部分作用的原因。总之，β-葡聚糖对旋毛虫感染的治疗结果产生了多方面的有益影响，可被视为治疗旋毛虫病的有前途的佐剂。
