Effect of wheat germ oil and propolis on murine schistosomiasis mansoni: Evaluation of their impact on induced liver fibrosis by targeting the TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway | ||
| Parasitologists United Journal | ||
| Article 8, Volume 18, Issue 2, September 2025, Pages 144-154 PDF (789.96 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/puj.2025.369619.1290 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Tahany A AL-Attar1; Mona F Faheem* 2; Huda I Abd El-Hafiz3; Hend A Elshaha4; Fatma H Shalaan5 | ||
| 1Parasitology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt | ||
| 2Parasitology department - Faculty of Medicine - Menoufia University | ||
| 3Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt | ||
| 4Pathology department , Faculty of Medicine - Menoufia University | ||
| 5Medical Parasitology, Faculty of medicine, Menoufia university, Shebin el-kom, Egypt | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background: Praziquantel (PZQ), the sole drug for schistosomiasis, was repeatedly linked to reinfections, resistance, and low cure rates. This necessitates an urgent need to search for alternative natural products and identify novel drug targets. Objective: To investigate the role of wheat germ oil (WGO) and propolis in mice infected by S. mansoni compared to PZQ. Material and Methods: Fifty mice were randomly divided into five equal groups: negative, and positive controls, propolis treated, WGO treated in comparison to PZQ treated group. Worm burden, oogram pattern, intestinal and hepatic egg counts, number and diameter of hepatic granulomas, were assessed to evaluate their efficacy. To assess the degree of fibrosis, an immunohistochemical study was performed by examining hepatic tissue stained by Masson trichome. In addition, biochemical and immunological parameters (ALT, AST, IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-β1) were determined. To identify the mechanism of action of the propolis and WGO on hepatic fibrosis, a real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was performed to assess the genetic expression of TGFβ1/Smad3 pathway. Results: In WGO and propolis-treated groups, there were significant reductions in all parasitological parameters (worm load, intestinal and hepatic egg counts) with an increased percentage of dead eggs in the oogram pattern. Besides, there was a substantial decline in granuloma number and diameter. Similarly, mice of both groups had substantial hepatoprotective effects demonstrated by improvement of liver enzymes, reduction of IL-4, and elevation of IL-10. Furthermore, the regulation of genetic expression of TGFβ1/Smad3 showed a notable decrease that coincided with a reduction of fibrous tissue in hepatic granulomas. Additionally, there was a decrease in the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the groups treated with propolis, WGO, and PZQ, compared to the untreated group. The WGO group demonstrated significant improvements compared to the other groups. Conclusion: The current study highlighted the potential role of propolis and WGO as beneficial natural herbal medicine for schistosomiasis treatment; this may also assist in mitigating the adverse effects of PZQ. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| α-SMA; IL-4; IL-10; propolis; schistosomiasis mansoni; TGF-β1/Smad3 pathway; wheat germ oil | ||
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