In vitro, effects of Praziquantel and alcoholic and aqueous crude extracts of Citrullus colocynthis and Eucalyptus globulus on the viability of protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus

Abstract

Iraqi flora is rich in plants and the possibility of finding new antimicrobial agents still widely ahead, therefore, the present work evaluated the effects of alcoholic and aqueous crude extracts of Citrullus colocynthis; Eucalyptus globulus leaves and Praziquantel drug (as scolicidal agents) on the viability of Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces in vitro. Live protoscoleces obtained from the liver of naturally infected sheep. The viability of protoscoleces was determined by their motility and flame cells activity and staining method using 0.1% eosin solution. The number of viable protoscoleces was counted and distributed into test tubes (4 tubes for each treatment of different concentrations) and 2 tubes were kept as control without treatments. The percentage viability of protoscoleces was ranged between 93.7 to 95.3. Praziquantel drug reduced the survival of protoscoleces during seven sequenced days post incubation. Drug effects showed more influence in both concentrations of 450 μg/ml from day 4 and 600 μg/ml from day 3 post incubation, respectively. The methanolic extract of C. colocynthis reduced the viability of protoscoleces during eight sequenced days post incubation from 96% to zero%. The effects were marked highly in the concentrations of 300 μg/ml from day 3 post incubation. Aqueous fruit extracted decreased in the viability of protoscoleces. In the minimum used concentration (75μg/ml), the viability of protoscoleces reduced from 96% to reach zero% at day eight post incubation, whereas in the maximum concentration used (300 μg/ml), the viability reached to zero% after four days. All concentrations of leaves methanolic and aqueous extracts of E. globulus have an antiparasitic activity against the protoscoleces viability, but the greater effect was to 600 μg/ml that kill all protoscoleces in 6 days after treatment.