DAFLON AS A NEW DRUG IN TREATING MURINE EXPERIMENTAL CRYPTOSPORIDIOSIS

Abstract

Cryptosporidiosis is a major zoonotic health problem especially in immunocompromised hosts. The current study investigated the effect of Daflon (DFL) as an alternative therapy or combined with Nitazoxanide (NTZ) against cryptosporidiosis in immuno-competent and immuno-suppres-sed mice. Fifty mice were divided into two major groups: GI included immuno-competent mice and GII included drug-induced immuno-suppressed mice. Each group of five mice was subdivided equally into five subgroups. Mice subgroups were either in GI or GII as follows: A: Control negative neither infected nor treated, B: Control positive C. parvum infected but not treated, C: C. parvum infected NTZ treated, D: C. parvum infected and DFL treated & E: C. parvum infected combined treated (NTZ+ DFL). Drug efficacy was done by parasitological, biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical analysis. All drugs significantly reduced oocysts' number compared to their counterparts infected mice. There was an increase in SOD and a decrease in MDA serum levels in mice received combined treatment. Histopathologically, all tissues in mice received combined treatment more or less retained their normal architecture. Also, iNOS expression in treated groups turned into weak cytoplasmic expression in all tissues with the best effect in mice received combined treatment.