Schistosomiasis is a serious and neglected tropical illness with a negative influence on human
health. It's treated with praziquantel (PZQ), which has been linked to resistance and reinfections.
As a result, new anti-schistosomal medications are desperately needed. Medicinal plants, particularly
crude preparations of medicinal herbs, have a potential treatment against schistosomiasis.
Uncaria (U.) tomentosa is a rainforest plant native to the Amazon and Central America. It is
commonly used in traditional medicine due to its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects.
This study aimed to compare both antiparasitic and hepatoprotective efficacy of U. tomentosa
bark extract to PZQ in mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni. To evaluate its antiparasitic
qualities, worm load, egg count, granuloma counts, and diameters were measured. Also,
liver tissues were immune stained using nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-B), and the levels of the
inflammatory proteins interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, and nitric oxide (NO) in the serum were assessed.
U. tomentosa had a substantial impact on granuloma diameter but without significant
impact on worm load, tissues egg load, or granuloma numbers. It has a good hepatoprotective effects
through improvement of liver enzymes and reduction of NF-κB.