In vitro and in silico evaluation of the schistosomicidal activity of eugenol derivatives using biochemical, molecular, and morphological tools

Eugenol: effective complementary treatment for cryptosporidiosis in experimentally infected mice

Cryptosporidiosis is an opportunistic, globally distributed parasitic disease. Whereas Cryptosporidium causes asymptomatic infection and diarrhea in healthy people, it may lead to severe illness in immunocompromised individuals. Limited, effective therapeutic alternatives are available against cryptosporidiosis in those categories of patients. So, we are in urgent need of better drugs for the treatment of cryptosporidiosis. Fifty male Swiss albino mice were used. Mice were grouped into five groups of ten mice each. Group I was left uninfected, and four groups were infected with 1000 oocysts of cryptosporidium. The first infected group was left untreated. The remaining three-infected groups received nitazoxanide (NTZ), eugenol, and eugenol + NTZ, respectively, on the 6th day post infection (dpi) for five days. Mice were sacrificed on the 30th dpi. The efficacy of treatment was evaluated using parasitological, biochemical, and histopathological parameters. Combination therapy of eugenol with NTZ caused a significant reduction of the number of oocysts secreted in stool and improved cryptosporidiosis-induced liver injury manifested by the restoration of normal levels of liver enzymes (ALT and AST). Treatment with eugenol-NTZ combination maintained a well-balanced antioxidant status, as evidenced by a reduced level of nitric oxide (NO) and increased antioxidant Superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity. Moreover, the combination of eugenol with NTZ resulted in the restoration of the normal morphology of intestinal villi, crypts, and muscularis mucosa. Based on the findings extracted from the present work, we can conclude that eugenol is a complementary therapeutic when used with NTZ in the treatment of cryptosporidiosis. The addition of eugenol to NTZ in the treatment of cryptosporidiosis synergized the effect of NTZ, causing a greater reduction of the number of shedded oocysts, improving liver enzyme levels, and restoring normal intestinal pathology. Therefore, we presume that eugenol's antioxidant capacity accounts for the protective effect seen in the current study. We suggest eugenol as a supplemental chemotherapeutic agent with good therapeutic potential and high levels of safety in the treatment of cryptosporidiosis based on the findings of the current study.

In Situ Preparation of Dehydrodieugenol-Loaded Silver Nanoparticles and their Antischistosomal Activity

Schistosomiasis is a major neglected disease that imposes a substantial worldwide health burden, affecting approximately 250 million people globally. As praziquantel is the only available drug to treat schistosomiasis, there is a critical need to identify new anthelmintic compounds, particularly from natural sources. To enhance the activity of different natural products, one potential avenue involves its combination with silver nanoparticles (AgNP). Based on this approach, a one-step green method for the in situ preparation of dehydrodieugenol (DHDG) by oxidation coupling reaction using silver and natural eugenol is presented. AgNP formation was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy due to the appearance of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at 430 nm which is characteristic of silver nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were spherical with sizes in the range of 40 to 50 nm. Bioassays demonstrated that the silver nanoparticles loaded with DHDG exhibited significant anthelmintic activity against Schistosoma mansoni adult worms without toxicity to mammalian cells and an in vivo animal model (Caenorhabditis elegans), contributing to the development of new prototypes based on natural products for the treatment of schistosomiasis.