A potential therapeutic effect of sea cucumber Holothuria polii extract during the intestinal phase of experimental trichinellosis

Trichinellosis is a severe parasitic disease transmitted by food, specifically caused by Trichinella spiralis, which exhibits great clinical importance worldwide. Albendazole (ABZ) is the main clinical treatment for trichinellosis but has some adverse effects and drug resistance. Sea cucumber Holothuria polii is an essential source of beneficial therapeutic metabolites. Hence, the purpose of the present study was to explore the potential therapeutic effectiveness of H. polii extract (HPE) during the intestinal phase of trichinellosis and the possibility of using it as a supplement to ABZ. For this purpose, mice were divided into a control group and four T. spiralis-infected groups: infected untreated, infected and ABZ-treated, infected and HPE-treated, and infected and combined therapy-treated groups. The treatment with the combined therapy decreased parasitic load by 96.76%, caused deleterious effects on the adult worm cuticle, improved jejunum histological architecture, diminished intestinal inflammatory cytokines, and decreased oxidative damage compared with the infected untreated group and ABZ-treated group. The ameliorating effect of HPE could be due to its total antioxidant capacity content and the presence of natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents like saponins, phenolics, alkaloids, and flavonoids. In conclusion, HPE has a multifaceted, effective impact on trichinellosis and can be considered an ABZ-promising complementary treatment.