Study on the Therapeutic Effect of Coconut Oil Extracts as An Alternative Medicinal Plant in Cryptosporidium Infected Mice.

OBJECTIVE

Cryptosporidiosis caused by Cryptosporidium sp. is a globally spreading disease. Nowadays, new researches are moving towards an effective treatment without side effects, especially for young and immune-compromised patients. The current study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of the coconut oil extracts as an alternative medicinal plant in Cryptosporidium infected immunocompromised mice.

METHODS

Sixty white albino mice were classified into six groups; Group I: Infected with Cryptosporidium oocysts treated with Nitazoxanide, Group II: Infected with Cryptosporidium oocysts and treated with coconut water extract, Group III: Infected with Cryptosporidium oocysts and treated with coconut Hexan extract, Group IV: Infected with Cryptosporidium oocysts and treated with coconut ethanol extract, Group V: Positive control, Group VI: Negative control. Stool samples were collected and examined; histopathological and immune-histochemical assessment using anti caspase-3 and anti CDX2 monoclonal antibodies were performed.

RESULTS

Coconut oil extracts results revealed a significant decrease of oocyst count, correlated with an amelioration of histopathological and confirmed by immunohistochemical changes in ileal tissue.

CONCLUSION

The present study has opened fresh avenues for development of natural therapy like coconut oil extracts, which have a potential therapeutic efficacy against Cryptosporidiosis. That was confirmed by different methodologies, parasitological examination, histopathological examination, and immunohistochemical assays. It paves the way for being a promising anti-parasitic agent for infection eradication. However, further studies are still required to gain more knowledge about different coconut extracts in order to reach the best treatment efficacy.