Investigating Therapeutic Potential of Beta‐Glucan on Experimental Toxoplasmosis in Immunocompetent and Immunocompromised Mice: In Silico and in Vivo Studies

There is a need to find efficient treatment for toxoplasmosis, a global disease with a public health concern, as the used therapeutics have limited effectiveness. Beta-glucan (β-glucan), a natural polysaccharide, has anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-infective activities against bacteria, viruses, and parasites. We aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of β-glucan on toxoplasmosis using an in silico study and an in vivo mice model. The β-glucan drug-likeness characteristics were evaluated by molecular docking simulations, Lipinski's RO5 filter analysis, and the computational quantitative structural-activity relationships/absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity predictive characteristics compared to spiramycin, an anti-toxoplasmosis drug. Sixty albino mice were divided into two divisions, immunocompetent and immunosuppressed. Each division contained five groups; healthy, diseased, spiramycin-treated, β-glucan-treated, and both β-glucan and spiramycin-treated groups. Parasitological, histopathological examinations, and immunological analysis were detected. β-glucan docked complexes demonstrated H-bonding and hydrophobic interactions towards their promising anti-toxoplasmosis targets compared to the spiramycin. The treated mice revealed a statistically significant reduction (p < 0.001) in the parasite burden. Regarding immunocompetent and immunosuppressed division, the group that was treated with both β-glucan and spiramycin, demonstrated the greatest outcomes, with 71% and 66% efficacy, respectively. It is concluded that β-glucan shows promising potential as an anti-toxoplasmosis candidate by potentiating the spiramycin effect and modulating the immunological response.