Screening and Investigation of Novel Antihelminthic Drugs and Study of their Mechanism of Action

Abstract

Soil-transmitted helminth infections are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas and, since they are linked to a lack of sanitation, occur wherever there is poverty. Soil-transmitted nematodes are divided into various types: giant roundworm, hookworm, pinworm, strongyloidiasis, whipworm, and trichinosis. Studying the epidemiology of helminths, H. contortus infects approximately 1.4 billion people in around 150 countries worldwide. Very selective targeted diagnostic techniques are available to test the infection but the prevalence of infection, shortage of drugs, undesired side effects, and increasing resistance against existing drugs bring a situation of the urgent need for new drugs. Based on the above research gaps and resistance to drugs against the antihelminthic activity, this project proposal aims to develop new drugs from various types of medicinal plant extracts, nano-based formulations, and various synthetic compounds and study its antihelminthic activity. Plant extracts and synthetic compounds are present in ample amounts widely in nature and have a promising inhibitory effect against the adult, larval, and egg stages of H. contortus. The unprecedented anti-helminthic efficiency of different aqueous plant extracts, silver nanoparticles AgNPs by increasing reactive oxygen species thereby causes alteration of metabolic activity and physical damage in the worm tissue. The antihelminthic potential of AgNPs and synthetic compounds have been found far effective than the presently available drugs. It has been observed that AgNPs, cuminaldehyde, and quercetin induce antioxidant stress against various stages of the worm, which causes a predominant change in metabolism, physical damage, and death of worms. H. contortus shows high resistivity against Albendazole.