Effect of Pistacia atlantica Fruit and Leaf Extracts on Hydatid Cyst Protoscolices.
Treatment of human hydatidosis is mainly surgical, with chemical treatment being reserved as a coadjuvant treatment. Use of effective protoscolicidal agents during surgery of hydatid disease is essential to reduce the recurrence rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the scolicidal effects of Pistacia atlantica leaf and fruit hydroalcoholic extracts on protoscolices of hydatid cyst. Echinococcus granulosus protoscolices were obtained from 50 sheep infected with hydatid cysts. Various concentrations of plant hydroalcoholic extracts were used in different exposure times for viability assay of protoscolices. The scolicidal effects of the hydroalcoholic extracts of the leaf, fresh and dried fruits were significant compared to the control groups (P < 0.05). Among the Pistacia atlantica extracts tested, 0.1% (mg/ml) concentrations of fresh fruit extract (99.09 ± 1.27) and leaf extract (89.25 ± 18.42) had strong scolicidal effects in 360 min, of exposure times and the mortality rate decreased with the lower concentration. Information from the current study has the strong scolicidal effect of fresh fruit hydroalcoholic extract of Pistacia atlantica on protoscoleces, which may be used as a scolicidal agent during the surgery techniques.