{"title":"Assessment of the Therapeutic Role of Allium tuncelianum Extract in Rats Infected with Blastocystis Subtype 3","authors":"Mehmet Aykur, Nazan Gökşen Tosun, Aykut Özgür","doi":"10.1007/s11686-025-01130-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><p><i>Blastocystis</i> is one of the most prevalent intestinal protists detected in humans and animals worldwide, and its role in human health and disease has become an increasingly debated topic in parasitology. The study investigated the therapeutic potential of <i>Allium tuncelianum</i> extract, an endemic plant of Turkey, as an alternative treatment for <i>Blastocystis</i> ST3 infections.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p>The experimental animals were infected with <i>Blastocystis</i> ST3. The animals were divided into six groups: healthy control (G1), infected control (G2), infected <i>Allium tuncelianum</i> extract treatment (G3a, G3b, and G3c) and infected Metronidazole treatment (G4). Microscopic examination and qPCR methods were used to determine <i>Blastocystis</i> load in fecal samples.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>The G3c group (250 mg/kg/day <i>Allium tuncelianum</i>) complete (100.0%) microscopic clearance of <i>Blastocystis</i> load in fecal samples was achieved by day 12th, whereas the Metronidazole group (G4), showed only an 84.1% reduction. Moreover, qPCR results revealed lower <i>Blastocystis</i> loads in groups G3c and G3b compared to Metronidazole. A statistically significant decrease in fecal <i>Blastocystis</i> load was observed in all treated groups compared to the infected group (G2) (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). <i>Blastocystis</i> load in fecal sample reduction exhibited a dose-dependent pattern across all <i>Allium tuncelianum</i> treatment groups, confirming the dose-dependent therapeutic effect of the extract. <i>Allium tuncelianum</i> extract, especially at higher doses, may serve as a natural, effective, and safer alternative or supplement to Metronidazole in the management of <i>Blastocystis</i> infection.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>This study demonstrated that <i>Allium tuncelianum</i> extract exhibited superior therapeutic efficacy against <i>Blastocystis</i> ST3 compared to Metronidazole. The findings suggest that regular dietary consumption of <i>Allium tuncelianum</i> could represent a promising natural alternative for managing <i>Blastocystis</i> infections.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":6932,"journal":{"name":"Acta Parasitologica","volume":"70 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Acta Parasitologica","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11686-025-01130-y","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"PARASITOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose
Blastocystis is one of the most prevalent intestinal protists detected in humans and animals worldwide, and its role in human health and disease has become an increasingly debated topic in parasitology. The study investigated the therapeutic potential of Allium tuncelianum extract, an endemic plant of Turkey, as an alternative treatment for Blastocystis ST3 infections.
Methods
The experimental animals were infected with Blastocystis ST3. The animals were divided into six groups: healthy control (G1), infected control (G2), infected Allium tuncelianum extract treatment (G3a, G3b, and G3c) and infected Metronidazole treatment (G4). Microscopic examination and qPCR methods were used to determine Blastocystis load in fecal samples.
Results
The G3c group (250 mg/kg/day Allium tuncelianum) complete (100.0%) microscopic clearance of Blastocystis load in fecal samples was achieved by day 12th, whereas the Metronidazole group (G4), showed only an 84.1% reduction. Moreover, qPCR results revealed lower Blastocystis loads in groups G3c and G3b compared to Metronidazole. A statistically significant decrease in fecal Blastocystis load was observed in all treated groups compared to the infected group (G2) (p < 0.0001). Blastocystis load in fecal sample reduction exhibited a dose-dependent pattern across all Allium tuncelianum treatment groups, confirming the dose-dependent therapeutic effect of the extract. Allium tuncelianum extract, especially at higher doses, may serve as a natural, effective, and safer alternative or supplement to Metronidazole in the management of Blastocystis infection.
Conclusion
This study demonstrated that Allium tuncelianum extract exhibited superior therapeutic efficacy against Blastocystis ST3 compared to Metronidazole. The findings suggest that regular dietary consumption of Allium tuncelianum could represent a promising natural alternative for managing Blastocystis infections.
期刊介绍：
Acta Parasitologica is an international journal covering the latest advances in the subject.
Acta Parasitologica publishes original papers on all aspects of parasitology and host-parasite relationships, including the latest discoveries in biochemical and molecular biology of parasites, their physiology, morphology, taxonomy and ecology, as well as original research papers on immunology, pathology, and epidemiology of parasitic diseases in the context of medical, veterinary and biological sciences. The journal also publishes short research notes, invited review articles, book reviews.
The journal was founded in 1953 as "Acta Parasitologica Polonica" by the Polish Parasitological Society and since 1954 has been published by W. Stefanski Institute of Parasitology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. Since 1992 in has appeared as Acta Parasitologica in four issues per year.
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