Therapeutic effectiveness of Ferula asafetida against Hymenolepis nana

ABSTRACT Hymenolepis nana is a common intestinal tapeworm that affects humans. Drugs, including praziquantel (PZQ), are essential for managing this infection. Natural products are now considered as an alternative agent to control hymenolepiasis. Three doses of the herb Ferula asafetida (FAH) (100-150-200 mg/ml) were used to assess the appropriate dose and right time to eliminate H. nana. It was found that 150 mg/ml gives no movement in 5 min and is an appropriate dose affecting H. nana. This study showed that FAH completely controls mature worms. Treatment with FAH induced a significant reduction in worm burden and complete healing after 14 days relative to a single dose PZQ drug. Moreover, histological studies for the infected-treated mice with FAH demonstrated improvement in the intestinal tissue and less accumulation of inflammation relative to those treated with PZQ. In addition, the cestodal infection significantly upregulated the inflammatory cytokines. This increase in mRNA expression of TNF-��, iNOS, and IL-2 was 6.80, 5.65, and 8.95-fold, respectively, which significantly downregulated upon treatment. Collectively, F. asafetida is a promising medicinal plant with anti-cestodal and anti-inflammatory activities and could be used for the treatment of hymenolepiasis.