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Efficacy of maslinic acid and fenbendazole on muscle larvae of Trichinella zimbabwensis in laboratory rats

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 January 2015

S. Mukaratirwa ,
L. Gcanga  and
J. Kamau
S. Mukaratirwa*
Affiliation:
School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa
L. Gcanga
Affiliation:
School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa
J. Kamau
Affiliation:
School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Nairobi, PO Box 30197-00100Nairobi, Kenya
*
* E-mail: mukaratirwa@ukzn.ac.za
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Abstract

Trichinellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by nematode species of the genus Trichinella. Anthelmintics targeting the intestinal adults and muscle-dwelling larvae of Trichinella spp. have been tested, with limited success. This study was aimed at determining the efficacy of maslinic acid and fenbendazole on muscle larvae of Trichinella zimbabwensis in laboratory rats. Forty-two Sprague–Dawley rats, with an average weight of 270 g and 180 g for males and females respectively, were infected with T. zimbabwensis larvae. Infected rats were randomly assigned to three groups which were subjected to single treatments with each of maslinic acid, fenbendazole and a combination of both on day 25 post-infection (pi), and three groups which were subjected to double treatments with each of these drugs and a combination on days 25 and 32 pi. The untreated control group received a placebo. In single-treatment groups, the efficacy of each treatment, measured by rate of reduction in muscle larvae, was significant (P< 0.001) for both drugs compared to the untreated control group. There was no apparent synergistic effect on the combination of the two drugs in reducing the muscle larval burden, either in single or double treatments. In all the treatment regimens, the reductions were significant (P< 0.001) when compared to the untreated control and not significant when the single treatments were compared with the double treatments (P>0.05). We conclude that the efficacy of maslinic acid against larval stages of T. zimbabwensis in rats was comparable to that of fenbendazole, with no side-effects observed, making maslinic acid a promising anthelmintic against larval stages of Trichinella species.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 90 , Issue 1 , January 2016 , pp. 86 - 90
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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