Fasciola Gigantica: Tegumental Surface Alterations Following Treatment in Vitro with Plumbagin

Fascioliasis is a parasitic disease caused by liver fluke species of the genus Fasciola.
Triclabendazole is the only known treatment to be efficient against both the pre- adults and
adults’ worms in hepatic parenchyma and the bile ducts, respectively, however, its
effectiveness was found to be confronted by some resistance issues. This work aimed to
investigate the antiparasitic effect of Plumbagin (PB) against the adult Fasciola gigantica (F.
gigantica) parasite. PB is natural yellowish quinonoid compound, 5-hydroxy-2-methyl-1,4-
naphthoquinone, which is known to have an antiparasitic and anthelmintic activity in both
humans and animals. In the current study, the anthelmintic efficacy of PB was assessed by
using 40 flukes of the adult F. gigantica which were divided into four groups (10 each). Three
groups were treated with different concentrations of PB (1, 10, and 100 μg/ml) and the fourth
group was left untreated to act as a negative control. The efficacy of PB against F. gigantica
was assessed by scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and histopathological examination of
the tegument area in the posterior part of the fluke’s body. The results showed that PB caused
tegumental alterations, including swelling, blebbing, and rupture of the tegument, loss of
spines, eventual erosion, and even desquamation of the total tegument, in a dose dependent-
manner. The severity of tegumental damage increased, proportionally, with the concentrations
of PB to indicate its fasciolicidal effect against adult F. gigantica. Further studies are
recommended for its potential use as an anthelmintic against Fasciola sp. infections.