In vivo and in vitro anticoccidial efficacy of Astragalus membranaceus against Eimeria papillata infection

Abstract

Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease of wild and domestic animals caused by Eimeria spp. Currently, several drugs are available for the control of this disease but resistance has been confirmed for all them. There is an urgent need, therefore, for the identification of new compounds as alternative treatments to control coccidiosis. Astragalus membranaceus proven to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, immunomodulating and anticancer activities. The present study was therefore undertaken to assess the in vivo and the in vitro anticoccidial activity of Astragalus membranaceus root (AMR). Mice were divided into five groups, with the first left non-infected and the second, third, fourth and fifth groups being infected with 1 × 103 sporulated oocysts of E. papillata. The third, fourth and fifth groups also received, respectively, an oral dose of 10, 25 and 50 mg/kg AMR suspended in physiological saline daily for five consecutive days. 50 mg/kg, was the most effective dose, inducing a significant reduction in the number of oocysts output in mice faeces (by about 57%), accompanied by a significant decrease in the number of parasitic stages in jejunal sections. Moreover, the treatment with AMR increased the number of goblet cells and upregulated the expression of its specific gene, MUC2. In addition, our study proved that AMR reduced oxidative damage since levels of TBARS decreased (indicating reduced lipid peroxidation), levels of glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) increased, and the mRNA level of iNOS was downregulated. Also, AMR treatment revealed anti-apoptotic activity as it was able to regulate the gene expression of Bcl-2 in the jejunum of E.papillata infected mice. Finally, the in vitro study revealed that AMR significantly inhabited the oocyst sporulation in a dose dependent manner. Overall, therefore, our results indicate that AMR exhibits significant in vivo and in vitro anticoccidial effects.