The effect of albendazole with silver and gold nanoparticles on Th1/Th2 cytokine (IFN-γ/IL-4) balance in laboratory mice infected with hydatid cysts.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of combining albendazole with gold and silver nanoparticles on the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance, specifically the IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio, in BALB/c mice with hydatidosis. Sixty healthy female BALB/c mice (6-8 weeks old, 25-35 g) were infected with 1500 live Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces and sorted into six groups: albendazole (200 mg/kg), nanosilver (25 mg/kg), ABZ-loaded silver nanoparticles (100 mg/kg), nanogold (25 mg/kg), ABZ-loaded gold nanoparticles (100 mg/kg), and a control group (not treated). After a five-month incubation and 12-week treatment, IFN-γ and IL-4 levels were measured in sera from euthanized mice. Analysis showed that the silver nanoparticles and ABZ-loaded silver nanoparticles groups had significantly higher IFN-γ/IL-4 ratios than controls (P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed in the albendazole-only and gold nanoparticles groups. The study indicates that the use of albendazole loaded onto silver nanoparticles appears to exert the most pronounced effect on the IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio, driving the Th0 response toward a state that diminishes parasite survival. This immunological shift potentiates the Th1 subset, thereby further activating innate and adaptive immune responses against the parasite.