Scolicidal Effect of Some Herbs on Echinococcus granulosus Protoscoleces: a Systematic Literature Review

Surgery is the best choice of treatment for human hydatidosis. Secondary infection is one of the end points of surgery in treating the hydatidosis which results from the spillage of protoscolices into the peritoneal cavity. Many chemical scolicidal agents have been used for inactivation of the cyst’s content, but most of them are associated with adverse side effects. Some studies have reported that traditional plants might have a potential application in prevention of post-surgery infections. We searched Medline, PubMed and Google scholar to identify the potentially relevant studies on implication of traditional plants against Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces. In this study, we have reviewed scolicidal effects of some plant species (such as Zataria multiflora, Berberis vulgaris, Allium spp. Mentha spp. and etc.) and their products (essential oils, methanolic extract, aqueous extract and etc.) on Echinococcus granulosus protoccoleces. The scolicidal activity of these herbs could be helpful in hydatid cyst surgery. However, the mechanisms by which plant extracts killed protoscolices and also their safety for human cells are unclear and needed to be more investigated.