Reproductive and Biochemical Toxicity of Biobased Silver Nanoparticles against Toxocara vitulorum

Abstract

Background: Toxocara vitulorum is a common parasitic worm of buffalo and cattle, causing livestock mortality and morbidity worldwide. Several countries suffered substantial eco-nomic losses due to animal death and reduced meat and milk production. Therefore, it became nec-essary to discover a new alternative drug, especially with the emerging resistance to current medica-tions. The present study aims to evaluate the in vitro anthelmintic effect of different concentrations of biobased silver nanoparticles on T. vitulorum adults. Methods: Different concentrations of silver nanoparticles were synthesised using lemon juice. Groups of male and female adult worms were incubated in 50, 100, and 200 mg/L silver nanoparti-cles for 48 h. The parasite motility, histology, and biochemical parameters were observed and com-pared to the control. Results: The results showed that silver nanoparticles decreased the worm motility, increased mor-tality rate, induced structural damage, caused collagen disruption, and showed elevated levels of as-partate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, total protein, urea, and creatinine, as well as reduced levels of acetylcholinesterase, lactate dehydrogenase, uric acid, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: Silver nanoparticles established a significant anthelmintic effect against T. vitulorum and could become one of the up-and-coming antiparasitic drugs in the future.