Wheat Germ Oil and Propolis Decrease Parasite Burden and Restore Marked Histopathological Changes in Liver and Lung in Mice with Chronic Toxoplasmosis

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Toxoplasmosis is a major parasitic zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution. It has a wide range of reservoirs and can result in abortion and permanent congenital anomalies in fetuses. Several studies have reported an alarming increase in parasite resistance to available drugs, making treatment of infection a major challenge, especially in the chronic stage of the disease. The present study investigated the antiparasitic effect of wheat germ oil and propolis on the chronic stage of Toxoplasma gondii in experimentally infected mice. The parasitological load in the liver and lungs of treated animals was quantified and compared with positive control animals by parasitological methods and molecular techniques. Histopathological changes as a result of infection were also investigated. The results demonstrate promising ameliorative effects of the combination of wheat germ oil and propolis against parasite burden and restoration of histopathological lesions in the liver and lungs during chronic toxoplasmosis infection. ABSTRACT: Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic zoonotic disease with a worldwide distribution. Its effects can be critical in immunocompromised patients. However, there is a limited availability of effective, low-toxicity drugs against this disease, particularly in its chronic form. The present study evaluated the effect of propolis and wheat germ oil (WGO) as safe, natural products to reduce Toxoplasma cysts in experimentally infected mice. For the experiment, five groups (10 mice per group) were examined: Group 1: negative control (noninfected, nontreated); Group 2: positive control (infected, nontreated); Group 3: infected and treated with WGO at a dose of 0.2 mg/1.5 mL per kg body weight/day; Group 4: infected and treated with 0.1 mL propolis extract/day; and Group 5: infected and treated with a combination of WGO and propolis at the same doses as Group 3 and 4. After the mice were sacrificed, liver and lung specimens underwent histopathological examination, and the parasite burden was investigated by parasitological methods and quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Notably, the results showed a substantial decrease in parasitic burden in Group 5 compared to the control group. These results were further confirmed by molecular analysis and quantification of the DNA concentration of the Toxoplasma P29 gene after treatment in all tested samples. Furthermore, the combination of propolis and WGO restored all histopathological changes in the liver and lungs. Taken together, these findings provide remarkably promising evidence of the effects of the combination of WGO and propolis against chronic toxoplasmosis in mice.