Evaluation of disulfiram in experimental trichinellosis through biochemical and histological analysis

Trichinellosis treatment is complex and must be tailored to disease progression. No single drug is fully effective across all stages. Management includes antiparasitics, inflammation control, pain relief, symptomatic care, and rehabilitation for chronic cases. Disulfiram (DSF) has been recognized to have anti-parasitic effects and several medicinal uses. Consequently, the aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of DSF in the treatment of the intestinal and muscular phases of trichinellosis in mice compared with albendazole (ABZ). Mice were divided into five groups: negative control; positive control; ABZ treatment; DSF treatment; and combined treatment. Parasitological, immunological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical studies were performed to assess the effectiveness of the treatments. Parasitological analysis involved small intestinal adult worms and encysted muscle larvae count. The histopathological assessment used hematoxylin and eosin stain for intestinal and muscular sections. Moreover, immunological markers and the immunohistochemical expression of the NOD-like receptor-pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were evaluated. Under the tested formulations (ABZ as a water suspension; DSF in DMSO/propylene glycol), combined treatment was associated with the highest reductions in adult worms and encysted larvae count and NLRP3 and VEGF expressions. This is the first study to investigate DSF as an innovative adjunct therapy for trichinellosis. According to this research, DSF is recommended as an anti-trichinellosis drug especially when combined with ABZ. Given the non-equivalent drug vehicles, these comparative findings are exploratory and warrant confirmation with matched formulations and pharmacokinetic assessment.