Effects of Methanolic Extract of Ficus carica Leaves on Cystic Echinococcosis

ABSTRACT &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Background and objective: Surgery is the gold standard treatment for hydatidosis. Scolicidal agents could be used during surgery to kill protoscoleces and prevent cyst recurrence after rupturing of main lesion. Non-chemical agents with sufficient protoscolex-killing activity are known to be fully effective in this regard with fewer side effects. Fig tree is an Iranian native plant, which has been used for medicinal purposes in traditional medicine. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Methods: After obtaining infected hydatid cyst of the liver from a slaughterhouse in Babol (Iran), the percentage of live protoscoleces was calculated by critical staining with 0.1 % eosin. Then, the protoscolex-killing activity of methanolic extract of fig leaves was evaluated at concentrations of 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg/ml in 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 minutes exposure times. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 22). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Results: Concentration of 20 mg/ml of the extract showed 100% protoscolex-killing activity within the first 2 minutes of exposure. In addition, the lowest protoscolex-killing activity (45%) was observed at concentration of 2.5 mg/ml after 2 minutes. The results also showed that the protoscolex-killing activity of the extract increases significantly in a concentration- and time-dependent manner (P <0.001). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Conclusion: The methanolic extract of fig leaf at concentration of 20 mg/ml could exert significant scolicidal effect within 2 minutes of exposure. Therefore, complementary experiments should be performed on animal models to further assess the efficiency of the extract for killing protoscoleces of hydatid cyst during surgery. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Keywords: Echinococcus granulosus, methanolic extract of Ficus carica, broth dilution.&nbsp;