Background: The conventional anti-helminthic treatment for trichinosis has limited efficacy against
encapsulated muscle larvae of T. spiralis. An efficient therapeutic formula is needed to terminate the
encapsulated forms.
Objective: To study the therapeutic efficacy of the highly antigenic T. spiralis cathepsin B (TsCB) and TsCB
loaded on nanoliposomes drug delivery system, as an efficient drug delivery system system, with/without
aluminum hydroxide as adjuvant in murine trichinosis.
Material and Methods: Seventy male Swiss albino mice were divided into two groups: control (noninfected
and T. spiralis-infected subgroups), and treated groups. Compared to Albendazole treated group,
mice of the treated group were divided into four other subgroups according to therapeutic regimens. To
study the therapeutic efficacy in intestinal, and muscular phases, half of the mice in each infected subgroup < br />were sacrificed on the 7th day post-infection (dpi), and the other half on the 35th dpi to count T. spiralis
adults and larvae, and to examine the histopathological changes. Quantitative levels of IgM, IgG1, and T.
spiralis circulating larval antigen were determined by ELISA. Real-time PCR was used for the detection of
T. spiralis larval DNA in the intestinal and the muscular tissues.
Results: The treated groups showed a reduction in adult and larval counts and an improvement in
inflammation with minimal eosinophilic infiltrate. Moreover, increased optical density (OD) of serum IgM
and IgG1, decreased Trichinella circulating antigen levels, and increased mean cycle threshold of T. spiralis
larva DNA were recorded. The best results of all parameters were detected in mice treated by nano-CB
with aluminum hydroxide.
Conclusion: It was concluded that CB, and nanoliposomes CB have high therapeutic effects on experimental
trichinosis, and aluminum hydroxide improves the efficacy of each.