Trichinellosis is a worldwide risky parasitic zoonosis caused by a nematode of the genus
Trichinella. Anthelmintic such as albendazole and mebendazole commonly used to treat trichinellosis
are badly water soluble and exhibit unfavorable bioavailability after oral administration
increasing need for effective and safe drug. This study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy
of lactoferrin loaded on silver nanoparticles in treating T. spiralis infection in mice by parasitological,
immunological, and histopathological parameters. Forty albino mice were classified into
8 groups of 5 mice. G1: Non-infected non-treated (normal), (G2): Infected non-treated (infected
control). G3: Infected and treated with albendazole, G4: Infected and treated with lactoferrin,
G5: Infected and treated with silver nanoparticles, G6: Infected and treated with lactoferrin
loaded on silver nanoparticles, G7: Infected and treated with albendazole in combination
with lactoferrin, & G8: Infected and treated with albendazole in combination with lactoferrin
loaded on silver nanoparticles.
The results revealed a significant decline in all treated mice with the highest reduction rate of
T. spiralis adult count in G8 treated with a combination of albendazole and lactoferrin loaded
on silver nanoparticles (98.59%), followed by G7 treated with albendazole and lacto-ferrin
(95.77%), G3 treated with albendazole (90.38%), G6 treated with lactoferrin loaded on silver
nanoparticles (84.27%), G4 treated with lactoferrin (59.86%), and lowest reduction rate
(22.3%) was in G5 treated with nanoparticles. Also, there was a significant decline in TNF- α
& IL-10 levels and an improvement of the intestinal histopathological changes in mice treated
with a combination of albendazole and lactoferrin loaded on silver nanoparticles.