Abstract
Drug resistance is the main challenge in treating parasitic diseases, including cystic echinococcosis (CE). Hence, the current study aims to investigate the effect of nanocapsules containing albendazole (ABZ), mebendazole (MBZ), and praziquantel (PZQ) on treating hydatid cysts in mice using these high-potency drugs. A total of 78 female white laboratory mice (BALB/C mice), 8 weeks old and weighing 25 g, were intraperitoneally injected with 1500 live protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus. The first group received ABZ nanocapsules, group 2 received MBZ nanocapsules, group 3 received PZQ nanocapsules, group 4 received ABZ + MBZ nanocapsules, group 5 received ABZ + PZQ nanocapsules, and group 6 received MBZ + PZQ nanocapsules. Each group also had a control group, which received the non-nanocapsulated drugs (group 7-12). Group 13 received no treatment and served as the negative control, just receiving phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). A thorough examination of the cysts' physical properties, including size, quantity, and weight, was carried out. According to our results, the polymeric nanocapsules are sphere-like and of different sizes. The total number of cysts in all nanocapsule groups significantly decreased compared to the control group. In the total weight of the cysts, ABZ + MBZ nanocapsules, ABZ + PZQ nanocapsules, and MBZ + PZQ nanocapsules had the least total cyst weight, showing that the use of the medicinal combination had a better effect on the penetration and weight reduction of the cysts. In conclusion, the findings showed that ABZ, MBZ, and PZQ significantly reduced the size, weight, and number of hydatid cysts in the mouse model used in this study.