Abstract
Trichinella spiralis infection is a food-borne zoonotic disease caused by nematodes
that dwell in the tissues, presenting a significant public health concern. This study
aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of different treatments including silver nanoparticles
(AgNPs), myrrh biosynthesized AgNPs “AgNPs synthesized using plant-based
green technologies”, myrrh extract, and myrrh essential oil, as alternative treatments
against T. spiralis infection. Parasitological, histopathological, and cytotoxicity assessments
were conducted to investigate the effects of various concentrations of these
treatments in reducing the populations of adult worms and larvae during both the
intestinal and muscular phases of T. spiralis-infected mice. The results showed that
the highest antihelminthic efficacy against the intestinal phase of T. spiralis was
achieved by myrrh extract (86.66%), followed closely by AgNPs (84.96%) and myrrh
AgNPs (82.51%) at higher concentrations (800 mg/kg for myrrh extract, 40 μg/mL
for AgNPs, and 40 μg/mL for myrrh AgNPs). While the group treated with myrrh
essential oil showed the lowest percentage of adult reduction (78.14%). However, all
treatments demonstrated comparable effects in reducing the larvae population in the
muscle phase. Histopathological examination of the tissues revealed compelling evidence
of the effectiveness of AgNPs, particularly when prepared with myrrh. Additionally,
a comprehensive assessment of the cytotoxicity of AgNPs indicated low
toxicity levels. This study supports that AgNPs synthesized using plant-based green
technologies hold therapeutic potential for the treatment of T. spiralis infectionThese findings present a promising avenue for the development of novel antiparasitic
drugs that are both effective and safe.