• Nanoparticles as potent agents for the treatment of Schistosoma Infections
  • Fatemeh Heshmati,1,* Erfan Shapourgan,2 Hassan Borji,3
    1. Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
    2. Department of medicine, Tehran university of medical science
    3. Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran


  • Introduction: A parasitic infection caused by Schistosoma species (also called the blood flukes) leads to Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease of humans and animals. Tropical and subtropical regions are particularly prone to the disease, particularly those with poor sanitation and no access to a safe source of drinking water. Nanoparticles have been investigated as a possible alternative to routine drugs in recent years due to their effects on parasitic infections. Nanoparticles have been studied for their anti-parasitic properties in vitro and in vivo and have shown promising results for treating parasitic diseases. This systematic review provided an overview of nanoparticle therapy for Schistosoma diseases.
  • Methods: Two researchers conducted a systematic search using the keywords "parasitism," "Schistosoma," "anti-Schistosoma activity," "metal nanoparticles," "nanoparticles," "polymer nanoparticles," "gold nanoparticles, "PLGA nanoparticles," and "nanoemulsions" from five English databases from 2000 to 2022, including europePMC, ScienceDirect, Ovid, Scopus, PubMed, and Cochrane. 500 studies were selected for the initial search. After removing duplicate, unrelated, and full-text articles, 19 were chosen according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
  • Results: Nanoparticles such as gold nanoparticles, liposomes, and Chitosan nanoparticles were the most common ones used to treat Schistosoma infections. In the reviewed studies, nanoparticle-loaded synthetic and herbal drugs showed an enhanced ability to combat Schistosoma larvae and adults. Nanotechnology includes nanoemulsions, liposomes, and nanoparticles for drug delivery. Schistosoma spp. has been successfully treated with these drug delivery systems in vitro and in vivo. A number of physicochemical properties must be taken into account before designing metallic nanoparticles (MeNPs) or specific nanosystems, including complexes of MeNPs with drugs attached to the shells. There are a number of factors that influence their dispersion, including surface charge, shape, surfactant type, and shell molecules designed to ensure precise molecular interactions with parasites. Nanoparticles can be surface functionalized with aptamers, antibodies, peptides, and antibodies-like ligands to target the schistosome tegument receptor proteins and genes directly. As a result, schistosomes cannot import nutrients from the host due to the suppression of receptor genes/proteins. As a result, the parasite cannot maintain solute balance and evade the immune system. A possible way to develop anti-schistosomal drugs can be to explore and target the receptors and proteins present on the schistosome tegument.
  • Conclusion: By re-formulating existing drugs into site-specific targeted drug delivery systems, nanomaterials-based drug delivery systems offer effective and enhanced alternative therapies. Many NTDs can be controlled safely and with reduced adverse effects with various nanoformulations (polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, metal nanoparticles, solid-lipid nanoparticles). The results obtained show that nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery improves efficacy through targeted delivery increased targeting efficiency, and higher bioavailability at the site of disease.
  • Keywords: Schistosoma, Parasite, Nanoparticles, In vitro, In vivo,