الفهرس 
Introduction and Aim of the workOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Schistosomiasis is an endemic disease in 74 countries causing more than 250,000 deaths every year. Accordingly, the development of an effective drug for eradication of schistosomiasis is an open research field. Chemotherapy of schistosomiasis remains the cornerstone of intervention but rapid reinfection demand frequent treatment and emphasizes the need for long-term approach. So, a major focus of research has been directed to use the natural products against S. mansoni infection. The present work was carried out to determine the effect of blue green algae (BGA) alone or in combination with praziquantel (PZQ) on some parasitological, biochemical and immunological aspects of male albino mice infected with S. mansoni. This study included seventy male mice divided into seven groups: Normal control (NC): Ten mice were served as normal control. Normal mice + BGA: Ten normal mice were orally received 100 mg/kg of blue green algae per mouse, for 15 consecutive days. Normal mice + PZQ: Ten normal mice were orally received 250 mg/kg of PZQ per mouse, for 3 consecutive days. Infected control (IC): Ten mice were infected with S. mansoni and served as infected control mice. Infected + BGA: Ten mice were infected with S. mansoni and orally treated with 100mg/kg of blue green algae per mouse, for 15 consecutive days, 7 weeks post infection. Infected + PZQ: Ten mice were infected with S. mansoni and orally treated with 250mg/kg of PZQ per mouse, for 3 consecutive days, 7 weeks post infection. Infected + PZQ and BGA: Ten mice were infected with S. mansoni and orally treated with a combination of 100mg/kg BGA per mouse, for 15 consecutive days and 250mg/kg of PZQ, for 3 consecutive days, 7 weeks post infection. At the end of experiment, all animals were sacrificed and the following parameters were investigated: I- Parasitological parameters: • Assessment of S. mansoni worms burden. • Determination of S. mansoni ova count. • Oogram measurement. II- Biochemical studies: • Determination the activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in serum. • Determination of serum total protein (TP). • Determination of serum albumin (Alb). • Determination of hepatic lipid peroxidation (LPO). • Determination of hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. • Determination of hepatic catalase (CAT) activity. • Determination of hepatic glutathione-S transferase (GST) activity. • Determination of hepatic glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity. III- Immunological parameters: • Determination of serum level of TNF-α. • Determination of serum concentration of ICAM-1. • Determination of serum concentration of VCAM-1. • Determination of hepatic VEFG expression. IV- Histological detection of hepatic granuloma. The results of this study can be summarized as the following: • Treatment of S. mansoni-infected mice with BGA, PZQ or in combination resulted in a significant decrease in the weight of liver and spleen as compared with those of S. mansoni-infected mice. • Treatment of S. mansoni-infected mice with BGA, PZQ or in combination significantly reduced the total worm burden by 45%, 100% and 100%, respectively; when compared with S. mansoni-infected mice. • A significant decrease in ova count/g of liver and intestine was observed in treated groups with either BGA or PZQ as well as the combination of BGA and PZQ as compared with those of S. mansoni-infected mice. • Both BGA and/or PZQ showed a remarkable effect on the oogram pattern in liver and intestine of S. mansoni-infected mice. where, a significant reduction in immature and mature eggs was observed in liver and intestine. In contrast, a significant increase in the number of dead eggs was recorded in liver and intestine of S. mansoni infected mice treated with either BGA or PZQ as well as the combination of BGA and PZQ. • A significant decrease in the level of ALT, AST, ALP and TP in S. mansoni-infected mice treated with either BGA or PZQ as well as the combination of BGA and PZQ. In contrary the level of serum Alb were significantly increased after treatment with either BGA or PZQ as well as their combination as compared with those of S. mansoni-infected mice. • There were significant reductions in the activities of hepatic CAT and SOD as well as GST and GPX, while, level of hepatic lipid peroxidation was significantly elevated in mice infected with S. mansoni as compared with normal mice . Treatment of S. mansoni-infected mice with either BGA or PZQ as well as the combination of BGA and PZQ led to a significant increase in the level of antioxidant enzyme and, on the other hand, the level of hepatic lipid peroxidation was decreased as compared with those of S. mansoni-infected mice. • The histological studies revealed that treatment of S. mansoni-infected mice with either BGA or PZQ as well as the combination of BGA and PZQ resulted in a significant decrease of the diameter of hepatic granuloma. Treatment with either BGA or PZQ as well as the combination of BGA and PZQ improved the immune system of S. mansoni-infected mice. Results showed a significant reduction in the level of cellular adhesion molecules, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. At the same time treatment of S. mansoni-infected mice with BGA, PZQ or in combination produced a significant reduction in the level of TNF-α. • In addition, the decrease in angiogenesis was observed in S. mansoni infected mice treated with BGA, PZQ or in combination. The decrease in angiogenesis was most evident in the group receiving the combination of BGA and PZQ where differences in VEGF expression were significantly less in the sinusoids when compared with those in mice treated with BGA or PZQ. from the results of this study, it may be concluded that: BGA exhibited antischistosomal activity. BGA reduced the harmful side effects accompanied with the PZQ treatment. BGA exhibited a potent antioxidant and immunoprotective activities. BGA significantly inhibited the liver damage accompanied with schistosomiasis. The suggested mechanism for antischistosomal activity of BGA is through the augmentation of antioxidant capacity as well as immune response of the host; while, reducing the level of reactive oxygen species that lead to the prevention of eggs lying and worm burden of S. mansoni. Subsequently, inhibition of granuloma formation that resulted in the reduction of the liver damage. Significance and Impact of the Study: BGA are consumed in many countries as a nutrient supplement and they are intensively studied for their pharmaceutical value. This study revealed the antischistosomal activity of BGA and this may open the door for further researches to study their pharmaceutical properties as antischistosomiasis drug Recommendation: Further research is recommended for determination of different effects of blue green algae as treatment for S. mansoni and extraction of effective material to adjust the dose needed for such treatment.