Efficacy of Berberis vulgaris aqueous extract on viability of Echinococcus granulosus protoscolices

Surgery is one of the best choices for the treatment of hydatidosis. To prevent the secondary infection, it is essential to use effective scolicidal agents during surgery for hydatid cyst. Up to now, no effective and safe agent has been identified for this purpose. Berberis vulgaris called "Zereshk" in Persian has been traditionally used as a herbal remedy for the treatment of different complaints. Many studies have shown that Berberis vulgaris has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic effects.

In our study, the scolicidal effect of barberry with different concentrations (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 mg/ml diluted form) and at different exposure times (5, 15, and 30 min) was evaluated. For this purpose, we obtained sheep liver hydatid cysts from a slaughterhouse. Viability of protoscolices was assessed by 0.1% Eosin staining. Normal saline and hypertonic saline were used as negative and positive controls, respectively.

All the different concentrations of Berberis vulgaris aqueous extracts had scolicidal effect. The strongest effect was observed to be in 4 mg/ml concentration, which acted as positive control. Scolicidal activity of 2 mg/ml dilution was close to 4 mg/ml and the least scolicidal effect was observed in 0.5 mg/ml. Scolicidal activity of extracts had significant differentiation between 5th and 30th min of exposure.

The scolicidal activity was very effective in low concentration (4 mg/ml) and short exposure time (5 min). Therefore, after being examined in vivo and additional experiments, it may be used as a suitable and effective scolicidal in surgery.