In vitro anthelmintic effect of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles on liver amphistome, Gigantocotyle explanatum.

In order to ensure global food security a rationale approach is required to control all those factors which directly or indirectly affect the food productivity. The neglected helminthic diseases alone are responsible for huge economic losses to the agrarian stakeholders. The problem is further compounded by the emerging drug resistance in flukes against the commonly used anthelmintics like triclabendazole. Therefore, the search for alternatives including the nano-based approaches has become a necessity to develop future control strategies. In the present study the effect of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was investigated on an economically important amphistome parasite, Gigantocotyle explanatum, infecting the liver of Indian water buffaloes. The treatment of adult worms with different doses of AgNPs severely affected the worm motility and caused ROS mediated damages in the treated flukes. The antioxidant system and the detoxification ability of the worms was disrupted along with pronounced DNA damage in the treated worms as compared to the controls. Following treatment of worms with different concentrations of AgNPs there was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in lipid peroxidation and protein carbonylation levels which are the key oxidative stress markers. The tegument, which is a metabolically active surface, was severely damaged as evident from the loss of papillae, severe blebbing, shearing and erosion of the surface structures. Such topographical disruptions would facilitate the penetration of the nanoparticles deep within the tissues that might greatly reduce the invasive potential of the flukes as evident from the decreased motility. Taken together our findings suggest that the AgNPs posses great anthelmintic potential and could be further exploited for the development of anthelmintic formulations which may be tested in vivo.