Clinical efficacy of carvacrol against Echinococcus granulosus metacestodes

JULIA FABBRI, PATRICIA E PENSEL, MARINA A MAGGIORE, GUILLERMO M DENEGRI, MARÍA C ELISSONDO

Mar del Plata

Congreso; X Congreso de Protozoología y Enfermedades parasitarias; 2014

Sociedad Argentina de Protozoología

Human cystic echinococcosis is a zoonosis caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. Currently, surgery is still the preferred method of treatment, despite the risk of intraoperative spillage of protoscoleces. However, the search of new therapeutic alternatives such as the use of traditional medicinal plants has been increased. Carvacrol is one of the main phenolic components from essential oils of Thymus vulgaris (thyme) and Origanum vulgare (oregano). Its activity in vitro against protoscoleces and cyst of E. granulosus has been reported. The aim of the present work was to determine the clinical efficacy of carvacrol against E. granulosus metacestodes. Carvacrol treatment resulted in a statistically significant reduction on the cysts weight compared to those obtained for control mice. All cysts in the samples removed from control mice appeared turgid, showing no observable collapse of the germinal layer. At ultrastructural level, the cyst showed typical features of E. granulosus metacestodes, with a germinal layer comprised of different cell types. In contrast, the ultrastructural study of cysts developed in mice treated with the carvacrol suspension revealed lost of the characteristic multicellular structure. The data obtained demonstrated that the in vivo treatment with carvacrol is effective against E. granulosus metacestodes.