In Vivo Study on the Anti‐Parasitic Effect of Omeprazole on <scp> <i>Cryptosporidium parvum</i> </scp> in Mice

Abstract

Cryptosporidiosis is an important enteric disease, causing diarrhoea and malabsorption similar to Rotavirus and targeting young children and immunocompromised individuals, especially AIDS patients. However, there is a lack of fully effective drugs and vaccines against it. This study was done with the aim of investigating the anti-parasitic and anti-inflammatory effects of omeprazole versus nitazoxanide and their combination on Cryptosporidium parvum (C. parvum) infection in immunosuppressed experimental mice. To achieve this aim, histopathological analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), estimation of oocyst shedding and measurement of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels in sera of mice and the optical density of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) immunoreactivity in intestinal tissues were performed. Regarding the results, oocyst shedding showed an obvious reduction with omeprazole more than nitazoxanide. Similar results were detected on both histopathological examination (by haematoxylin and eosin and periodic acid-Schiff stains) and SEM with marked improvement in pathology detected in the combination therapy treated group. TNF-α showed reduced levels in the sera of all treated groups indicating a reduction of immunopathology with treatment. Also, the cytoplasmic expression of iNOS in the intestinal epithelium of mice was markedly reduced in all treated groups indicating a reduction of oxidative stress. From these results, omeprazole was found to be superior to nitazoxanide in treating cryptosporidiosis and the use of the two drugs as a combined therapy showed the best results.