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The Korean Journal of Parasitology Jun 2021The use of albendazole and mebendazole, i.e., benzimidazole broad-spectrum anthelmintics, in treatment of parasitic infections, as well as cancers, is briefly reviewed.... (Review)
Review
The use of albendazole and mebendazole, i.e., benzimidazole broad-spectrum anthelmintics, in treatment of parasitic infections, as well as cancers, is briefly reviewed. These drugs are known to block the microtubule systems of parasites and mammalian cells leading to inhibition of glucose uptake and transport and finally cell death. Eventually they exhibit ovicidal, larvicidal, and vermicidal effects on parasites, and tumoricidal effects on hosts. Albendazole and mebendazole are most frequently prescribed for treatment of intestinal nematode infections (ascariasis, hookworm infections, trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis, and enterobiasis) and can also be used for intestinal tapeworm infections (taeniases and hymenolepiasis). However, these drugs also exhibit considerable therapeutic effects against tissue nematode/cestode infections (visceral, ocular, neural, and cutaneous larva migrans, anisakiasis, trichinosis, hepatic and intestinal capillariasis, angiostrongyliasis, gnathostomiasis, gongylonemiasis, thelaziasis, dracunculiasis, cerebral and subcutaneous cysticercosis, and echinococcosis). Albendazole is also used for treatment of filarial infections (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, loiasis, mansonellosis, and dirofilariasis) alone or in combination with other drugs, such as ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine. Albendazole was tried even for treatment of trematode (fascioliasis, clonorchiasis, opisthorchiasis, and intestinal fluke infections) and protozoan infections (giardiasis, vaginal trichomoniasis, cryptosporidiosis, and microsporidiosis). These drugs are generally safe with few side effects; however, when they are used for prolonged time (>14-28 days) or even only 1 time, liver toxicity and other side reactions may occur. In hookworms, Trichuris trichiura, possibly Ascaris lumbricoides, Wuchereria bancrofti, and Giardia sp., there are emerging issues of drug resistance. It is of particular note that albendazole and mebendazole have been repositioned as promising anti-cancer drugs. These drugs have been shown to be active in vitro and in vivo (animals) against liver, lung, ovary, prostate, colorectal, breast, head and neck cancers, and melanoma. Two clinical reports for albendazole and 2 case reports for mebendazole have revealed promising effects of these drugs in human patients having variable types of cancers. However, because of the toxicity of albendazole, for example, neutropenia due to myelosuppression, if high doses are used for a prolonged time, mebendazole is currently more popularly used than albendazole in anti-cancer clinical trials.
Topics: Albendazole; Animals; Anthelmintics; Antineoplastic Agents; Ascariasis; Female; Humans; Male; Mebendazole; Parasites; Trichuriasis
PubMed: 34218593
DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2021.59.3.189 -
International Journal of Environmental... Aug 2022The rat tapeworm has been shown to cause alterations in gastrointestinal tissues. Since hymenolepiasis induces a number of reactions in the host, it is reasonable to...
The rat tapeworm has been shown to cause alterations in gastrointestinal tissues. Since hymenolepiasis induces a number of reactions in the host, it is reasonable to assume that it may also be involved in the mechanisms of apoptosis in the intestines. Individual research tasks included an examination of the effect of infection on; (i) the cellular localization of the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax and anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, as well as caspase-3 and caspase-9, and (ii) the effects of the infection on the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, Cas-3 and Cas-9, at the mRNA and protein levels. Molecular tests (including mRNA (qRT PCR) and the protein (Western blot) expression of Bax, Bcl-2, and caspases-3, -9) and immunohistochemical tests were performed during the experiment. They showed that infection activates the intrinsic apoptosis pathway in the small and large intestine of the host. infection triggered the apoptosis via the activation of the caspase cascade, including Cas-3 and Cas-9. Hymenolepiasis enhanced apoptosis in the small and large intestine of the host by increasing the expression of the pro-apoptotic gene and protein Bax and by decreasing the expression of the anti-apoptotic gene and protein Bcl-2.
Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Hymenolepiasis; Hymenolepis diminuta; Intestine, Large; RNA, Messenger; Rats; bcl-2-Associated X Protein
PubMed: 35955110
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19159753 -
Microbiome Sep 2021Studies on the inhibition of inflammation by infection with helminth parasites have, until recently, overlooked a key determinant of health: the gut microbiota....
BACKGROUND
Studies on the inhibition of inflammation by infection with helminth parasites have, until recently, overlooked a key determinant of health: the gut microbiota. Infection with helminths evokes changes in the composition of their host's microbiota: one outcome of which is an altered metabolome (e.g., levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)) in the gut lumen. The functional implications of helminth-evoked changes in the enteric microbiome (composition and metabolites) are poorly understood and are explored with respect to controlling enteric inflammation.
METHODS
Antibiotic-treated wild-type, germ-free (GF) and free fatty-acid receptor-2 (ffar2) deficient mice were infected with the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta, then challenged with DNBS-colitis and disease severity and gut expression of the il-10 receptor-α and SCFA receptors/transporters assessed 3 days later. Gut bacteria composition was assessed by 16 s rRNA sequencing and SCFAs were measured. Other studies assessed the ability of feces or a bacteria-free fecal filtrate from H. diminuta-infected mice to inhibit colitis.
RESULTS
Protection against disease by infection with H. diminuta was abrogated by antibiotic treatment and was not observed in GF-mice. Bacterial community profiling revealed an increase in variants belonging to the families Lachnospiraceae and Clostridium cluster XIVa in mice 8 days post-infection with H. diminuta, and the transfer of feces from these mice suppressed DNBS-colitis in GF-mice. Mice treated with a bacteria-free filtrate of feces from H. diminuta-infected mice were protected from DNBS-colitis. Metabolomic analysis revealed increased acetate and butyrate (both or which can reduce colitis) in feces from H. diminuta-infected mice, but not from antibiotic-treated H. diminuta-infected mice. H. diminuta-induced protection against DNBS-colitis was not observed in ffar2 mice. Immunologically, anti-il-10 antibodies inhibited the anti-colitic effect of H. diminuta-infection. Analyses of epithelial cell lines, colonoids, and colon segments uncovered reciprocity between butyrate and il-10 in the induction of the il-10-receptor and butyrate transporters.
CONCLUSION
Having defined a feed-forward signaling loop between il-10 and butyrate following infection with H. diminuta, this study identifies the gut microbiome as a critical component of the anti-colitic effect of this helminth therapy. We suggest that any intention-to-treat with helminth therapy should be based on the characterization of the patient's immunological and microbiological response to the helminth.
Topics: Animals; Bacteria; Colitis; Helminths; Hymenolepiasis; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C
PubMed: 34517928
DOI: 10.1186/s40168-021-01146-2 -
Pharmaceutics Sep 2022Hymenolepiasis represents a parasitic infection of common prevalence in pediatrics with intimidating impacts, particularly amongst immunocompromised patients. The...
Tunable Polymeric Mixed Micellar Nanoassemblies of Lutrol F127/Gelucire 44/14 for Oral Delivery of Praziquantel: A Promising Nanovector against in Experimentally-Infected Rats.
Hymenolepiasis represents a parasitic infection of common prevalence in pediatrics with intimidating impacts, particularly amongst immunocompromised patients. The present work aimed to snowball the curative outcomes of the current mainstay of hymenolepiasis chemotherapy, praziquantel (PRZ), through assembly of polymeric mixed micelles (PMMs). Such innovative nano-cargo could consolidate PRZ hydrosolubility, extend its circulation time and eventually upraise its bioavailability, thus accomplishing a nanoparadigm for hymenolepiasis tackling at lower dose levels. For consummating this goal, PRZ-PMMs were tailored thin-film hydration technique integrating a binary system of Lutrol F127 and Gelucire 44/14. Box-Behnken design was planned for optimizing the nanoformulation variables employing Design-Expert software. Also, in -infected rats, the pharmacodynamics of the optimal micellar formulation versus the analogous crude PRZ suspension were scrutinized on the 1st and 3rd days after administration of a single oral dose (12.5 or 25 mg/kg). Moreover, in vitro ovicidal activity of the monitored formulations was estimated utilizing Fuchsin vital stain. Furthermore, the in vivo pharmacokinetics were assessed in rats. The optimum PRZ-PMMs disclosed conciliation between thermodynamic and kinetic stability, high entrapment efficiency (86.29%), spherical nanosized morphology (15.18 nm), and controlled-release characteristics over 24 h (78.22%). H NMR studies verified PRZ assimilation within the micellar core. Additionally, the in vivo results highlighted a significant boosted efficacy of PRZ-PMMs manifested by fecal eggs output and worm burden reduction, which was clearly evident at the lesser PRZ dose, besides a reversed effect for the intestinal histological disruptions. At 50 µg/mL, PRZ-PMMs increased the percent of non-viable eggs to 100% versus 47% for crude PRZ, whilst shell destruction and loss of embryo were only clear with the applied nano-cargo. Moreover, superior bioavailability by 3.43-fold with elongated residence time was measured for PRZ-PMMs compared to PRZ suspension. Practically, our results unravel the potential of PRZ-PMMs as an oral promising tolerable lower dose nanoplatform for more competent PRZ mass chemotherapy.
PubMed: 36297459
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14102023 -
Acta Tropica Sep 2019Large sectors of the Afghan population have limited access to safe water and sanitation, which increases the risk of transmission of water- and food- borne diseases,...
Large sectors of the Afghan population have limited access to safe water and sanitation, which increases the risk of transmission of water- and food- borne diseases, including Soil-Transmitted Helminth (STH) infections. STHs interfere with the human host's health status, and their burden of disease is highest among children of school age. Based on the results of a nationwide survey conducted in 2003, which showed an STH prevalence of 47.2%, and with the aim of reducing morbidity among school children, Afghanistan has been conducting nationwide deworming for preschool-age and school-age children since 2004. In 2017, 14 years after the first baseline assessment, a follow-up survey was carried out among schoolchildren aged 8-10 years to provide an update on STH epidemiology and facilitate evidence-informed planning of future deworming campaigns. Stool samples were collected from 2263 pupils aged 8-10 years in five provinces representing the different ecological zones of the country - Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar and Kandahar. Microscopic examination was carried out by the Kato-Katz thick smear technique, to assess the presence and the number of parasites and/or their eggs. The survey revealed that 26.6% of the sample was infected with at least one of the STH, a marked decrease from the level registered in 2003. The most prevalent infection was the one with A. lumbricoides (25.7%), followed by T. trichiura (1.0%) and hookworms (0.1%). All positive children were noted to have light-intensity infections, compared to the previous survey where 9.7% of the sample had moderate-to-heavy intensity infections. Only 0.2% of the children had co-infection with two or more parasites. Meanwhile, 6.8% of the students were found infected with the dwarf tapeworm, Hymenolepis nana. The absence of infections of moderate-to-heavy intensity after several yearly rounds of deworming and overall improvements in provision of safe water and sanitation, indicates successful control of morbidity due to STH and, overall, their elimination as a public-health problem from Afghanistan. Nevertheless, current levels of prevalence of infection still show persistence of active transmission of STHs, thus justifying the continued implementation of mass deworming interventions among children. The permanent elimination of STH transmission, however, will be possible only when the country reaches a sanitation level sufficient to impede fecal contamination of the environment with human excreta.
Topics: Afghanistan; Ancylostomatoidea; Animals; Ascariasis; Ascaris lumbricoides; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Feces; Female; Helminthiasis; Hookworm Infections; Humans; Hymenolepiasis; Hymenolepis nana; Male; Parasite Egg Count; Prevalence; Sanitation; Schools; Soil; Students; Surveys and Questionnaires; Trichuriasis; Trichuris
PubMed: 31128094
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.05.026 -
Journal of Parasitic Diseases :... Dec 2020Hymenolepiasis is a common parasitic infection of children and considered an opportunistic disease with a life-threatening effect among immunocompromised patients...
Hymenolepiasis is a common parasitic infection of children and considered an opportunistic disease with a life-threatening effect among immunocompromised patients through cysticercoid dissemination. Mirazid () is new phytotherapy for hymenolepiasis. So, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of Mirazid treatment comparing to Praziquantel (PZQ) (standard treatment) among immunocompetent and immunocompromised infected albino mice through biochemical and histopathological parameters. A total of 60 clean male albino mice (immunocompetent group) were divided into equal five groups which were infected and treated with Mirazid beside PZQ. Another 72 infected immunocompromised animals were divided into equal six groups and were also treated with Mirazid and PZQ. Liver and kidney functions were estimated as well as histopathological examination of intestine and liver. Levels of AST in the serum of infected mice treated with Mirazid or PZQ recorded a highly significant increase compared to the normal control group. The percentage of increase was 83.30% and 36.60% respectively. While the infected group recorded a non-significant decrease in AST level and the percentage of decrease was - 7.4%. Immunocompetent groups showed a positive significant correlation with the control Mirazid or control PZQ groups recorded an increase in liver function enzymes (AST, Bilirubin, and GGT) ( < 0.001) comparing to the normal control group. In conclusion, Mirazid showed higher cure rates than PZQ, 95.45%, and 74.54% on the 15th and the 21st days, it reached 100% respectively associated with good improvement of histopathological changes in intestine and liver.
PubMed: 33184549
DOI: 10.1007/s12639-020-01263-z -
The American Journal of Case Reports May 2023BACKGROUND Hymenolepiasis is a globally prevalent zoonosis of the monoxenic cycle. Humans acquire the disease through fecal-oral transmission by ingesting food or water...
BACKGROUND Hymenolepiasis is a globally prevalent zoonosis of the monoxenic cycle. Humans acquire the disease through fecal-oral transmission by ingesting food or water with infective eggs from infected rodents. This report presents 3 cases of hymenolepiasis in children, due to zoonotic transmission from rodents and presumably associated with the consumption of powdered milk contaminated with infective eggs of Hymenolepis nana, and shows that awareness and early diagnosis contributed to timely treatment of the disease. CASE REPORT Three children, aged 9, 12, and 13 years, living in a marginal urban area of Guayaquil, Guayas province, Ecuador, presented symptoms of diarrhea, low body weight, abdominal discomfort, anorexia, paleness, and anal itching. Subsequently, their fecal samples were analyzed by direct coproparasitic methods, flotation and sedimentation with centrifugation using saline solution; the presence of H. nana eggs was determined. Blood biometry was performed. Further, 10 rodents were captured and necropsied to obtain intestinal contents. The powdered milk consumed by the children was analyzed, the same powder that contained rodent feces. Subsequently, these were studied with the above-mentioned coproparasitic methods. H. nana eggs were identified in the 6 trapped rodents, the powdered milk, and the feces of rodents found in the milk powder. CONCLUSIONS Hymenolepiasis can affect populations of endemic areas. In this case, the disease was identified in 3 children, who were diagnosed with eosinophilia and anemia. Additionally, the presence of H. nana eggs in captured rodents and in powdered milk was determined, indicating that the community was exposed to this zoonotic disease.
Topics: Child; Animals; Humans; Hymenolepiasis; Hymenolepis nana; Rodentia; Ecuador; Powders; Prevalence; Zoonoses
PubMed: 37254469
DOI: 10.12659/AJCR.939476 -
PLoS Pathogens Mar 2022Parasites may significantly affect the functioning of the host organism including immune response and gut-brain-axis ultimately leading to alteration of the host...
Parasites may significantly affect the functioning of the host organism including immune response and gut-brain-axis ultimately leading to alteration of the host behavior. The impact of intestinal worms on the host central nervous system (CNS) remains unexplored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of intestinal infection by the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta on behavior and functions of the CNS in rats. The 3 months old animals were infected, and the effects on anxiety, exploration, sensorimotor skills and learning processes were assessed at 18 months in Open Field (OF), Novel Object Recognition (NOR) and the Water Maze (WM) tests. After completing the behavioral studies, both infected and non-infected rats were sacrificed, and the collected tissues were subjected to biochemical analysis. The levels of neurotransmitters, their metabolites and amino acids in selected structures of the CNS were determined by HPLC. In addition, the gene expression profile of the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10) was evaluated by Real-Time PCR to determine the immune response within the CNS to the tapeworm infection. The parasites caused significant changes in exploratory behavior, most notably, a reduction of velocity and total distance moved in the OF test; the infected rats exhibited decreased frequency in the central zone, which may indicate a higher level of anxiety. Additionally, parasite infestation improved spatial memory, assessed in the WM test, and recognition of new objects. These changes are related to the identified reduction in noradrenaline level in the CNS structures and less pronounced changes in striatal serotonergic neurotransmission. H. diminuta infestation was also found to cause a significant reduction of hippocampal expression of IL-6. Our results provide new data for further research on brain function during parasitic infections especially in relation to helminths and diseases in which noradrenergic system may play an important role.
Topics: Animals; Cognition; Exploratory Behavior; Helminthiasis; Helminths; Hymenolepiasis; Hymenolepis diminuta; Interleukin-6; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Neurotransmitter Agents; Rats
PubMed: 35286352
DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010330 -
Gut Microbes May 2020The tapeworm fails to establish in mice. Given the potential for helminth-bacteria interaction in the gut and the influence that commensal bacteria exert on host...
The tapeworm fails to establish in mice. Given the potential for helminth-bacteria interaction in the gut and the influence that commensal bacteria exert on host immunity, we tested if worm expulsion was related to alterations in the gut microbiota. Specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice, treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, or germ-free wild-type mice were infected with , gut bacterial composition assessed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and worm counts, blood eosinophilia, goblet cells, splenic IL-4, -5 and -10, and colonic cytokines/chemokines mRNA were assessed. Effects of a PBS-soluble extract of adult on bacterial growth was tested. -infected mice displayed increased α and β diversity in colonic mucosa-associated and fecal bacterial communities, characterized by increased Lachnospiraceae and clostridium cluster XIVa. analysis revealed that the worm extract promoted the growth of anaerobic bacteria on M2GSC agar. infection was accompanied by increased Th2 immune responses, and colon from infected mice had increased levels of IL-10, IL-25, Muc2, trefoil factor 3, and β2-defensin mRNA. SPF-mice treated with antibiotics, or germ-free mice, expelled with kinetics similar to control SPF mice. In both settings, measurements of Th2-immune responses were not significantly different across the groups. Thus, while infection with results in subtle but distinct changes to the colonic microbiota, we have no evidence to support an essential role for gut bacteria in the expulsion of the worm from the mouse host.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Biodiversity; Colon; Cytokines; DNA, Bacterial; Feces; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Host-Parasite Interactions; Hymenolepiasis; Hymenolepis diminuta; Intestinal Mucosa; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
PubMed: 31928118
DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2019.1688065 -
Tropical Parasitology 2020Hymenolepiasis is considered the most common tapeworm infection throughout the world infecting 50-75 million people. infection is not commonly reported in human beings...
Hymenolepiasis is considered the most common tapeworm infection throughout the world infecting 50-75 million people. infection is not commonly reported in human beings as compared to because it is primarily a parasite of rats and mice. There are few case reports of in the Indian population. To the best of our knowledge, not a single case of coinfection with and has been reported from India. We present here a rare case report of coinfection of and in a 4-year-old male child from a semirural area of India who presented with acute and severe colitis.
PubMed: 32775295
DOI: 10.4103/tp.TP_47_19