IMMUNITY CHANGES AND ANTIOXIDANT EFFECTS OF ALLIUM SATIVUM (GARLIC OIL EXTRACT) ON SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI INFECTED MICE
Sara A. Abdel-Rahman, Ghada M. Fathy, Mohamed H. Sarhan
Medical Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt
The appearance of Praziquantel-resistant strains of schistosomes was approved in Egypt. Herbal compounds are being sought to be alternative therapies. This work tested the effect of garlic (Allium sativum) (100 mg/kg bw/mouse) on the immune response to Schistosoma mansoni in mice at 8th and 12th week post infection. Infections of eighty mice were performed by ± 80 S. mansoni cercariae / mouse. They were classified into four groups: Group I (GI): (control), Group II (GII): (prophylactic), Group III (GIII): (therapeutic) and Group IV (G IV): (continuously-treated). The effect of garlic was evaluated by parasitological, immunological and histopathological determination of antioxidant activity. The results showed reduced number of worms, eggs and granulomas, and elevated serum level of (IFN-γ and IL-12) with reduced level of IL-4 among the garlic treated groups when compared with the control one. Also, there are elevations in the level of reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) accompanied by decreasing level of nitric oxide (NO) on administration of the garlic when compared to the control group in all periods of the experiment. In conclusion, garlic could be considered as a future protective agent and a good treatment for schistosomiasis mansoni infection. It may exert these effects through regulation of Th1 and Th2 cytokines patterns.
June 2016