A Green Way to Combat Echinococcus granulosus: Exploring the Scolicidal Effects of Lycopus europaeus and Lythrum salicaria Extracts

This study assessed the scolicidal activity of Lythrum salicaria and Lycopus europaeus methanolic extracts on the protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus using ultrasound-assisted extraction. Protoscoleces were obtained from sheep livers and lungs and were exposed to extracts at concentrations of 125, 250, and 500 mg/mL for 1, 10, 20, and 30 minutes. Over the exposure period, both plant extracts demonstrated progressively stronger scolicidal activity at all tested doses. At the lower concentrations of 125 and 250 mg/mL, L. salicaria generally exhibited a higher protoscolicidal effect compared to L. europaeus. However, the difference in efficacy was more pronounced at 125 mg/mL. On the other hand, at the 500 mg/mL concentration, the L. europaeus extract showed considerably greater scolicidal activity than the L. salicaria extract. Statistical analysis revealed that concentration had the biggest impact on mortality, followed by plant species and exposure time. The interaction between concentration and plant type impacted mortality the most, indicating that both factors influenced the overall effectiveness. In conclusion, both L. salicaria and L. europaeus methanolic extracts showed promise as potential candidates for future studies aimed at developing natural agents to control E. granulosus.