Reproductive and biochemical toxicity of biobased silver nanoparticles against Toxocara vitulorum

Abstract

Toxocara vitulorum is a common parasitic worm of buffalo and cattle, causing livestock mortality and morbidity worldwide. Several countries suffered substantial economic losses due to animal death and reduced meat and milk production. Therefore, it became necessary to discover a new alternative drug, especially with the emerging resistance to current medications. The present study aims to evaluate the in vitro anthelmintic effect of different concentrations of biobased silver nanoparticles on T. vitulorum adults. Different concentrations of silver nanoparticles were synthesised using lemon juice. Groups of male and female adult worms were incubated in 50, 100, and 200 mg/L silver nanoparticles for 48 h. The parasite motility, histology, and biochemical parameters were observed and compared to the control. The results showed that silver nanoparticles decreased the worm motility, increased mortality rate, induced structural damage, caused collagen disruption, and showed elevated levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, total protein, urea, and creatinine, as well as reduced levels of acetylcholinesterase, lactate dehydrogenase, uric acid, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein in a dose-dependent manner. Silver nanoparticles established a significant anthelmintic effect against T. vitulorum and could become one of the up-and-coming antiparasitic drugs in the future.