CLOVE OIL OR COMBINED WITH PRAZIQUANTEL DOWN REGULATED TGF-Β1 AND REVERSED FIBROGENIC DYNAMIC PROGRESSION CAUSED BY CHRONIC SCHISTOSOMIASIS MANSONI IN MICE

The most serious form of chronic schistosomiasis is the life-threatening hepatosplenic disease, accompanied by severe periportal fibrosis, a permanent condition once established. Reversion of ration and the process of scar formation is ensued. In the current work, clove oil alone and combined with PZQ were used to investigate their anti-fibrotic effect on hepatic fibrosis resulted from acute and chronic schistosomiasis mansoni in mice. To determine the state of hepatic fibroblasts, local expression of TGF- 1, a chief profibrogenic molecule was quantified using digital real-time image analysis and compared with the conventional parasitological and histopathological analysis. PZQ monotherapy caused a significant reduction in ova count, granuloma number and size. Local expression of TGF-gave better data as compared to acute and chronic infected treated mice (11.91±2.53- 20.34±3.05 vs. 7.51±2.11-11.23±2.23) with clove alone treatment & 4.95±1.95-7.51±1.92 in combined therapy (p=0.0000)), indicated low potential in achieving liver tissue repair. Significant drop in TGF- 1 expression with clove oil treatment, especially when combined with PZQ, indicated anti-fibrotic potentiality and good impact on liver cells proceeded towards regeneration supported by such drop. A significant positive correlation between mean TGF- 1 values and mean granuloma parameters in number and size of different infected groups (R² = 0.680 & 0.988, respectively in acute infection, 0.363 & 0.505 respectively, in chronic phase of infection, P value <0.05).