Antischistosomal activity of <i>Artemisia annua</i> , <i>Nigella sativa</i> , and <i>Allium sativum</i> crude extracts: A comparative review

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that impacts around 200 million individuals, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa. Praziquantel is the preferred treatment for schistosomiasis; however, due to resistance and limited efficiency against young worms, which strongly encourages the search for alternative therapies. This short review provides a comparative analysis of three botanical aqueous extracts from Artemisia annua ( A. annua ), Nigella sativa ( N. sativa ), and Allium sativum ( A. sativum ) and investigates their efficiency as antischistosomal alternative treatments. The review concentrates on the bioactive metabolites, processes, and relative therapeutic potential of these three plant species in addressing the limitations of praziquantel. Recent study utilizing liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and in vivo / in vitro models has indicated that A. annua is the most efficacious. It has demonstrated a mortality rate of 100% for Schistosoma mansoni within six hours when supplied at a dosage of 500 μg/ml in vitro . Furthermore, it has demonstrated a reduction in worm burden by 92% and egg load by 95% when provided at a dosage of 300 mg/kg in vivo . The efficacy is attributable to the tegumental damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated by artemisinin, along with the synergistic flavonoids present within it. N. sativa comes next, as it shows promising results as a closely ranked alternative. Its efficacy is associated with superior immunomodulatory effects attributed to compounds like thymoquinone and saponins, which diminished worm burden by 85% and egg load by 90%. A. sativum , which is primarily driven by allicin, generally exhibits the lowest efficacy among the three plant species reviewed, reducing worm burden by 80% and egg load by 85%. The quick action and potent metabolites of A. annua make it the leading choice; nonetheless, combination therapies and refined extraction methods demand additional research in order to solve the issues of bioavailability and standardization.