The Effect of Tamarindus indica Fruit Pulp Extract on Blastocystis hominis

Blastocystis hominis is a single-celled parasite found in the human gastrointestinal tract. Information about treatment options indicates that successful anti-parasitic eradication of this parasite is yet to be straightforward. Furthermore, the parasite has demonstrated some resistance to metronidazole. To evaluate the anti-Blastocystis effect of Tamarindus indica in vitro among patients who visit Kirkuk hospitals. Between September 2023 and March 2024, a total of (300) stool samples, including (224) patients who were referred to the Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit in Kirkuk Teaching Hospital and private laboratories complaining of abdominal pain and diarrhea and (76) healthy individual’s control. The study included (134) males and (166) females; their ages ranged (from 5 to 70 years). Stool samples were examined by direct microscopic examination using double wet preparation, cultured on Modified Boeck and Drbohlav's medium, then tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using Blastocystis copro-antigen ELISA kit, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted, followed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The susceptibility of (36) Blastocystis hominis (B. hominis) isolates was tested for Tamarindus indica (T. indica) using the broth macrodilution method. The Tamarindus was diluted two-fold dilution to obtain concentrations of (0.5-1042 µg/mL) and added to the broth. The detection rate of Blastocystis was (100 %) using PCR-RFLP, followed by culture (90 %). Tamarindus indica's aqueous extract demonstrated anti-Blastocystis hominis activity with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging within (4-512 µg/mL). Following (72 hours) of incubation, the parasite counts were completely eliminated at a concentration of (4 µg/mL) of the T. indica aqueous extracts. Our study revealed the potential anti-parasitic effect of T. indica aqueous extract at a concentration of (4 µg /mL) in the growth inhibition of B. hominis, and it could be a source of new anti-parasitic agents.