Pomegranate () Peel Inhibits the and Growth of Piroplasm Parasites.

Pomegranate () peel has seen a rapid surge in attention as a medical and nutritional product over the last decade. The impact of pomegranate peel methanolic extract monotherapy and combination therapy on the growth of () , , , , and () , as well as in mice, was investigated in this work. Fluorescence-based SYBR green I assay was used for evaluating the inhibitory antibabesial efficacy of pomegranate () peel against the growth of several piroplasm parasites and . Celltac MEK-6450 computerized haematology analyzer was used for monitoring the haematological parameters of treated mice every 4 days. Pomegranate peel inhibited the growth of , , , , and in a dose-dependent manner, with IC values of 154.45 ± 23.11, 40.90 ± 9.35, 72.71 ± 14.77, 100 ± 16.20, and 77.27 ± 16.94 g/ml, respectively. On a culture, the inhibitory effect of pomegranate peel was amplified when it was combined with diminazene aceturate (DA). Combination therapy of pomegranate peel and a low dose of DA (15 mg kg) inhibited growth significantly ( < 0.05) higher than the treatment with the full dose of DA (25 mg kg) in -infected mice. These findings suggest that pomegranate peel might be a potential medicinal plant for babesiosis treatment, especially when combined with a low dosage of DA.