Use of wogonin as a cooperative drug with praziquantel to better combat schistosomiasis

Background: Schistosomiasis is one of the most devastating tropical diseases in the world. Currently, praziquantel (PZQ) represents the best pharmacological option for the treat-ment of schistosomiasis as it effectively kills the worm. However, the inability to reverse es-tablished liver damages often makes treatment futile. In the current study, we investigate whether combining the use of wogonin, a compound that was found to be liver-protective, with PZQ can attribute to the greatest beneficial effect in Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice.Methods: To determine the protective effect of PZQ-wogonin treatment on S. manosni-in-fected mice, histopathological analysis was done to evaluate the granuloma size and fibrotic areas in the liver. Western blotting was performed to analyze several injuries-related markers including fibrotic markers, inflammasomes, and apoptotic markers. Scanning electron micro-scopy was done to evaluate the effect of wogonin on the worms, and the worm and egg burden was calculated.Results: Our results showed that PZQ-wogonin treatment significantly improved liver histopa-thology of S. mansoni-infected mice. Further analysis showed that PZQ-wogonin combinations are more effective in reducing fibrosis, inflammation, and apoptosis in the liver than that of individual drug use. Furthermore, our results revealed that wogonin is anthelmintic; and it works better with PZQ in reducing hepatic egg burden, further lessen the disease progression. Conclusion: In general, this combinatorial strategy may represent a new and effective approach to schistosomiasis treatment.Copyright 2022, Taiwan Society of Microbiology. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

The study investigates the therapeutic effect of combining wogonin, a liver-protective compound, with praziquantel (PZQ) in Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice. The results show that PZQ-wogonin treatment significantly improves liver pathology and reduces fibrosis, inflammation, and apoptosis in the liver. Additionally, wogonin exhibits anthelmintic properties and works synergistically with PZQ to reduce hepatic egg burden and disease progression.