• Effects of Myrtle methanolic extract on protoscoleces during hydatid cyst surgery
  • mahditoulabi,1 Hoseein Mahmoudvand,2,*
    1. Student Research Committee, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
    2. Department of Laboratory Sciences, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran Khorramabad, Iran


  • Introduction: Hydatid disease [cystic echinococcosis, CE] is a parasitic infestation by a tapeworm of the genus Echinococcus [6]. Surgery is considered the first choice of treatment for CE [7]. The use of effective scolicidal agents during CE surgery is necessary to reduce the risk of intraoperative spillage of the cyst contents [protoscoleces] and subsequently recurrence of CE and secondary infection [8, 9]. The present scolicidal agents have indicated various side effects such as liver necrosis and sclerosane colangitis [10]. This investigation aims to evaluate the protoscolicidal effects of Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) extract against protoscoleces of hydatid cysts on in vitro model.
  • Methods: Protoscoleces were aseptically aspirated from the livers of naturally infected sheep. Various concentrations of myrtle extract (62.5, 125, 250, and 500 mg/mL) were used for 10-60 minutes. Eosin exclusion test was used to determine the viability of protoscoleces.
  • Results: The results revealed that extract at the concentrations of 500 and 250 mg/mL killed 100% protoscoleces after 10, 20 minutes of exposure. Moreover, all of the protoscoleces were killed after 30 and 60 minutes of exposure to 125 and 62.5 mg/mL concentration of extract, respectively. The mortality rate of protoscoleces in the negative and positive controls was 9.1% after 60 min and 100% after 10 min of exposure, respectively. The obtained results demonstrated all the concentrations of extract had significant (p<0.05) protoscolicidal effects compared with the control group.
  • Conclusion: The obtained results demonstrated all the concentrations of extract had significant (p<0.05) protoscolicidal effects compared with the control group.
  • Keywords: Cystic echinococcosis; Prtotoscoleces; Extract; natural product