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Elmahallawy EK, Ali FAZ, Raya-Álvarez E, Fehaid A, Abd El-Razik KA, El Fadaly HAM, El-Khadragy MF, Sayed ASM, Soror AH, Alhegaili AS, Saleh AA, Alkhaldi AAM, Madboli AENA, Agil A, Barakat AM. Ameliorative effects of propolis and wheat germ oil on acute toxoplasmosis in experimentally infected mice are associated with reduction in parasite burden and restoration of histopathological changes in the brain, uterus, and kidney. Front Vet Sci 2024; 11:1357947. [PMID: 38496314 PMCID: PMC10940321 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1357947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis continues to be a prevalent parasitic zoonosis with a global distribution. This disease is caused by an intracellular parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii, and the development of effective novel drug targets to combat it is imperative. There is limited information available on the potential advantages of wheat germ oil (WGO) and propolis, both individually and in combination, against the acute phase of toxoplasmosis. In this study, acute toxoplasmosis was induced in Swiss albino mice, followed by the treatment of infected animals with WGO and propolis, either separately or in combination. After 10 days of experimental infection and treatment, mice from all groups were sacrificed, and their brains, uteri, and kidneys were excised for histopathological assessment. Additionally, the average parasite load in the brain was determined through parasitological assessment, and quantification of the parasite was performed using Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction targeting gene amplification. Remarkably, the study found that treating infected animals with wheat germ oil and propolis significantly reduced the parasite load compared to the control group that was infected but not treated. Moreover, the group treated with a combination of wheat germ oil and propolis exhibited a markedly greater reduction in parasitic load compared to the other groups. Similarly, the combination treatment effectively restored the histopathological changes observed in the brain, uterus, and kidney, and the scoring of these reported lesions confirmed these findings. In summary, the present results reveal intriguing insights into the potential therapeutic benefits of wheat germ oil and propolis in the treatment of acute toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehab Kotb Elmahallawy
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Grupo de Investigación en Sanidad Animal y Zoonosis (GISAZ), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
- Department of Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt
| | - Fatma Abo Zakaib Ali
- Department of Pathology and Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt
| | - Enrique Raya-Álvarez
- Rheumatology Department, Hospital Universitario San Cecilio, Av. de la Investigación s/n, Granada, Spain
| | - Alaa Fehaid
- Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Khaled A. Abd El-Razik
- Department of Animal Reproduction, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | | | - Manal F. El-Khadragy
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amal S. M. Sayed
- Department of Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Asyut, Egypt
| | - Ashraf H. Soror
- Department of Animal Reproduction, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Alaa S. Alhegaili
- Department of Medical Laboratory, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amira A. Saleh
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | | | - Abd El-Nasser A. Madboli
- Department of Animal Reproduction, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Ahmad Agil
- Department of Pharmacology, Biohealth Institute Granada (IBs Granada) and Neuroscience Institute, School of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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A Gad W, H Etman R, S Awad W, A Abd El-Razik K, H Soror A, M A Barakat A. Immunological, Histopathological, Molecular Identification and Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in Small Ruminants in Egypt. Pak J Biol Sci 2022; 25:144-153. [PMID: 35234003 DOI: 10.3923/pjbs.2022.144.153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
<b>Background and Objective:</b> Toxoplasmosis is an infective zoonotic disease caused by protozoan <i>Toxoplasma gondii </i>(<i>T. gondii</i>).<i> </i>Molecular identification of <i>T. gondii</i> followed by studying the hereditary variety range of <i>T. gondii </i>isolates in Egypt was investigated. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Blood samples were acquired from 138 live ewes and 212 she-goats from 5 governorates of Egypt, also the blood and its related tissue samples (uterus, diaphragm, heart and thigh muscles from each animal) were collected from slaughtered 180 ewes and 206 she-goats from Cairo and Giza abattoirs. <b>Results:</b> Using ELISA, the total seropositivity of live ewes and she-goats was 26.8 and 21.2%, respectively, while it was 16.6 and 33% in slaughtered ewes and she-goats, respectively. <i>T. gondii</i> tissue cysts with the associated characteristic histopathological changes were detected in different organs. Twenty-eight <i>T. gondii</i> isolates were confirmed using PCR, while among 24 milk samples from seropositive live ewes and she-goats, only 12.5 and 6.25%, were positive using PCR, respectively. Genotyping using multiple nested PCR (n-PCR) combined with restriction enzyme analysis (RFLP) of the surface antigen 2 (SAG2) gene confirmed 26 isolates (92.8%) as type II and 2 (7.1%) as type III. <b>Conclusion:</b> Type II and III are the most common <i>T. gondii</i> genotypes in Egyptian small ruminants with additional importance for public health in Egypt. Further studies are needed on the role of milk in the transmission of toxoplasmosis.
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