Medicinal Plants, Herbal Compounds, and Other Natural Products Used against Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato: A Narrative Review
Iranian Journal of Parasitology, cilt.21, sa.2, ss.147-163, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Derleme
- Cilt numarası: 21 Sayı: 2
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.18502/ijpa.v21i2.22075
- Dergi Adı: Iranian Journal of Parasitology
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE, Directory of Open Access Journals, Zoological Record, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Middle East & Africa Database (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.147-163
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato, Herbal compounds, Medicinal plants, Natural products
- Trakya Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato is a parasite that causes cystic echinococcosis in humans and herbivorous mammals, especially in the liver and lungs. The main treatment for cystic echinococcosis is surgery, but the primary risk of this method is the rupture of the cyst formed by the parasite and the spread of infectious protoscolices, leading to the formation of secondary cysts. Although many drugs are now used as scolicidal agents, their side effects have led to the acceptance of natural products as scolicidal agents. In this review, we aimed to investigate the scolicidal activities of various natural products. Studies on medicinal plants, herbal compounds, and other natural products with scolicidal activity against Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato protoscolices between 2000 and 2024 were searched using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Information from the studies included the type of medicinal plant used, herbal compound or natural product information, concentration, exposure time, and scolicidal activity. This review analyzed 103 studies that assessed the efficacy of 60 natural products against Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato, including 39 medicinal plants, 15 herbal compounds, and six other natural products. The most frequently observed medicinal plants were from the Lamiaceae family, of which Zataria multiflora was the most studied species. In addition, thymol and propolis were the most commonly studied herbal compounds and other natural products. This review focuses on medicinal plants, herbal compounds and other natural products with potential scolicidal agents.