Effect of Moringa oleifera and ivermectin nanoparticles on the immunopathological response during experimental trichinosis in mice

Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) infection dynamically modulates macrophage polarization. It promotes M1 macrophage polarization, enhancing the pro-inflammatory pathways. This study investigates how ivermectin nanoparticles (IVM-NP) and Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MOL-NP) regulate these pathways to improve the pathophysiological outcomes of trichinosis. Thirty Swiss albino mice were infected with T. spiralis and divided equally into five groups of six mice each: healthy controls, infected untreated, IVM-NP-treated, MOL-NP-treated, and combined IVM-NP and MOL-NP-treated. IVM-NP were administered as a single oral dose of 200 µg/kg at the beginning of the experiment. MOL-NP were delivered orally at a dose of 400 mg/kg/day for 5 consecutive days starting from experiment initiation. Parasitological examination to detect the parasitic burden in addition to histopathological, immunohistochemical and quantitative histomorphometric assessment of intestinal tissue for nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were done. Furthermore, RT-PCR was performed to evaluate the relative gene expression of Arginase-1, TNF-α, and IL-10. Treatment with nanoparticle formulations of IVM and MOL modulated macrophage-related immune responses by reducing the pro-inflammatory markers iNOS, TNF-α and NF-κB, while increasing the relative gene expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Combination therapy exhibited superior efficacy in decreasing parasite burden and mitigating intestinal pathology compared to monotherapy.