Anthelmintic Potential of Thymoquinone and Curcumin on Fasciola gigantica

PLoS One. 2017 Feb 2;12(2):e0171267. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171267. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Fasciolosis an economically important global disease of ruminants in the temperate and tropical regions, caused by Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica, respectively, also poses a potential zoonotic threat. In India alone it causes huge losses to stakeholders. Anthelmintics including triclabendazole have been used to control this menace but the emerging resistance against the available compounds necessitates identification of novel and alternative therapeutic measures involving plant derived natural compounds for their anthelmintic potential. Thymoquinone (T) and curcumin (C), the active ingredients of Nigella sativa and Curcuma longa respectively have been used as antiparasitic agents but the information on their flukicidal effect is very limited. Adult flukes of F. gigantica were in vitro exposed to different concentrations of thymoquinone and curcumin separately for 3h at 37+ 1°C. A significant (p<0.05) reduction in the worm motility at 60 μM concentration of both T and C was observed though all the worms remained alive after 3h exposure, whereas the effect on egg shedding was statistically insignificant. Pronounced tegumental disruptions and erosion of spines in the posterior region and around the acetabulum was evident. A significant (p<0.05) decrease in glutathione-S-transferase and superoxide dismutase activity and reduced glutathione (GSH) level was observed, while protein carbonylation increased differentially. A significant inhibition of CathepsinL (CatL) gene expression in thymoquinone treated worms was also evident. Further, in silico molecular docking of T and C with CatL revealed a stronger interaction of curcumin with the involvement of higher number of amino acids as compared to thymoquinone that could be more effective in inhibiting the antioxidant enzymes of F. gigantica. It is concluded that both the compounds understudy will decrease the detoxification ability of F. gigantica, while inhibition of CatL will significantly affect their virulence potential. Thus, both thymoquinone and curcumin appeared to be promising anthelmintic compounds for further investigations.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiplatyhelmintic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Benzoquinones / pharmacology*
  • Curcumin / pharmacology*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Fasciola / drug effects*
  • Glutathione / metabolism
  • Glutathione Transferase / metabolism
  • Parasitic Sensitivity Tests

Substances

  • Antiplatyhelmintic Agents
  • Benzoquinones
  • Glutathione Transferase
  • Glutathione
  • Curcumin
  • thymoquinone

Grants and funding

The financial assistance in the form of fellowships by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, New Delhi, under the DBT-BUILDER programme (Grant No. BT/PR4872/INF/22/150/2012) is gratefully acknowledged. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.