Evaluating the In Vitro Anthelmintic Activity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) Against the Adult Stages of Fasciola hepatica.

Background: Fascioliasis represents one of the most significant parasitic and foodborne zoonotic diseases in the world. Resistance to currently deployed human and veterinary flukicides is a growing health problem. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have developed enormous importance in nanomedicine. The current study aims to evaluate the flukicide activity of ZnO-NPs on the adult stages of Fasciola hepatica, in vitro assay.

Methods: Mature flukes of F. hepatica were collected from the biliary tracts of cattle liver from the main slaughterhouses in Aswan Governorate, Egypt. The co-precipitation process was utilized to create ZnO-NPs. The adult active flukes of F. hepatica (n = 6) were transferred in Petri dishes (triplicates) containing different concentrations of ZnO-NPs (0.5, 0.10 and 0.12 mg/mL), with simultaneous maintenance of control in only PBS. The treated and control groups of flukes were maintained inside an incubator at 37°C ± 1°C. Mortality and paralysis of the flukes were observed. The adult flukes were picked up for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination from the control medium, and those exposed to the highest effective concentration of ZnO-NPs. ZnO-NPs showed dose-dependent flukicide efficacy against the adult flukes.

Results: At 0.12 mg/mL concentration of ZnO-NPs, the mortality of flukes was attained early in 4.05 ± 0.033 h. The photomicrographs obtained by SEM of the flukes revealed that ZnO-NPs (0.12 mg/mL) had a potent effect on the integument surface and genital system of F. hepatica. Most of the tegument was damaged with complete erosion and loss of the spines and papillae. Furthermore, a severe rupture in the genital system causes the uterus to burst and releases eggs through the genital pore.

Conclusions: Hence, it could be concluded that ZnO-NPs performed effective anthelmintic activity against the adult stages of F. hepatica, in vitro. The results of the present study recommend the use of ZnO-NPs as new preparations with anthelmintic activity.