In Vitro Antiprotozoal Effects of Nano-chitosan on Plasmodium falciparum, Giardia lamblia and Trichomonas vaginalis

Background Treatment of parasitic infections with conventional drugs is associated with high toxicity, and undesirable side effects require cogent substitutions. Nanotechnology has provided novel approaches to synthesize nano-drugs to improve efficient antipathetic treatment. Purpose Nano-chitosan as a nontoxic antimicrobial agent was examined against three most prevalent protozoa in humans, Plasmodium falciparum , Giardia lamblia and Trichomonas vaginalis . Methods Chitosan extracted from Penicillium fungi was converted to nanoparticles to maximize its therapeutic properties. Safety of nano-chitosan was examined by determining its hemolytic property and toxicity on PC12 cells. The studied parasites were identified with RFLP-PCR and cultivation in relevant media. Characteristics of nano-chitosan as an useful and valuable curative compound was evaluated by FTIR, DLS and SEM. Dose dependent anti-parasitic effect of nano-chitosan was evaluated. Results The highest anti-parasitic activity of the nano-chitosan was observed at 50 μg/mL by which growth rates of cultivated P. falciparum, T. vaginalis and G. lamblia were inhibited by 59.5%, 99.4%, and 31.3%, respectively. The study demonstrated that nano-chitosan with the least toxicity, low side effects, and substantial efficacy deserved to be considered as an anti-parasitic nano-compound. Conclusion Nano-chitosan significantly inhibited protozoan growth in vitro promising to explore its use to combat parasitic infections. Further investigations covering extended sample size , in vivo experiments and optimizing the concentration used may lead to efficient treatment of protozoan diseases. Graphic abstract