Abstract
Helminth parasites of veterinary importance cause huge revenue losses to agrarian economy worldwide. With the emergence of drug resistance against the current formulations, there is a need to focus on the alternative approaches in order to control this menace. In the present study, biocompatible zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were used to see their in vitro effect on the biliary amphistomes, Gigantocotyle explanatum, infecting Bubalus bubalis because these nanoparticles are involved in generation of free radicals that induce oxidative stress, resulting in disruption of cellular machinery. The ZnO NPs were synthesized by using egg albumin as a biotemplate and subsequently characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray Diffraction and Spectrophotometrical, which showed that ZnO NPs were highly purified wurtzite type polycrystals, with a mean size of 16.7 nm. When the parasites were treated with lower concentrations (0.004% and 0.008%) of the ZnO NPs, the worms mounted a protective response by stimulating the antioxidant system but the treatment of G. explanatum with 0.012% ZnO NPs produced significant inhibition of the antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) (p< 0.05) and glutathione S- transferase (GST) (p<0.01), while the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxidation marker, was significantly (p< 0.01) elevated. SEM and histopathology revealed pronounced tegumental damage showing the disruption of surface papillae and the annulations, particularly in the posterior region near acetabulum. The under expression of a number of polypeptides, loss of worm motility in a time dependent manner, further reflect strong anthelmintic potential of ZnO NPs. It can be concluded that the anthelmintic effect might be due to the production of reactive oxygen species that target a variety of macromolecules such as nucleic acid, protein and lipids which are involved in different cellular processes.
Highlights
Helminth infections are widespread throughout the world, ranging from tropical, subtropical to temperate climates, affecting both humans as well as livestock animals and cause huge economic losses worldwide
Synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO nano particles (NPs)) using egg albumin was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique with Cu Kα radiation (λ = 0.15418 nm)
Average size of the Zinc Oxide (ZnO) was calculated from the width of the reflection according to the Debye-Scherrer equation: D = (0.9 l/ λ)/ (β cos θ), where β is the full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of the peak in radians, θ is the angle of diffraction and λ is the wavelength of the X-ray radiation
Summary
Helminth infections are widespread throughout the world, ranging from tropical, subtropical to temperate climates, affecting both humans as well as livestock animals and cause huge economic losses worldwide. (Fasciola gigantica and Fasciola hepatica) causes worldwide economic losses to the tune of 3.0 billion USD per annum in terms of mortality and decrease in production of milk, wool and meat yield [1]. Gigantocotyle explanataum is another neglected amphistome parasite infecting the bile duct of water buffalo. The personal survey at the local abattoirs reveals that about 60% buffaloes sacrificed had G. explanatum infection. G. explanatum infected livers show connective tissue proliferation, hemorrhages at the site of attachment, hypertrophy and hyperplasia in the bile duct, thereby seriously affecting the health and productivity of the infected animals [3]
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