Evaluation of anti-giardial and immunomodulatory activities of chloroform extract of Astragalus baba-alliar in experimental Giardia lamblia infection

Ghasemian Yadegari, Javad; Khalaf, Amal Khudair; Mirzadeh Ahari, Seyed Bahram; Darabi, Roya; Oladi, Aram; Mahmoudvand, Hossein

doi:10.22038/ajp.2026.28174

Evaluation of anti-giardial and immunomodulatory activities of chloroform extract of Astragalus baba-alliar in experimental Giardia lamblia infection

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Javad Ghasemian Yadegari ¹

Amal Khudair Khalaf ²

Seyed Bahram Mirzadeh Ahari ³

Roya Darabi ¹

Aram Oladi ¹

Hossein Mahmoudvand ⁴

¹ Department of Pharmacognosy, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran

² Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Thi-qar, Iraq

³ Student Research Committee, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran

⁴ Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran

10.22038/ajp.2026.28174

Abstract

Objective: This study evaluated the in vitro and in vivo anti-giardial effects of a chloroform extract of the aerial parts of Astragalus baba-alliar (ABCE) against Giardia lamblia.
Materials and methods: Anti-giardial activity of ABCE (100–400 µg/mL) was assessed against cysts and trophozoites. Cytotoxicity was determined in normal intestinal cells (NCM460) and SW480 cell line using MTT assay. In vivo efficacy was evaluated in infected mice compared with metronidazole. Intestinal expression of TNF-α, NF-κB, and IL-1β was analyzed by real-time PCR.
Results: ABCE exhibited dose-dependent in vitro activity, with the highest concentration inducing 100% eosin-positive cysts within 120 min and complete loss of trophozoite viability within 60 min (p < 0.001). Cytotoxicity analysis revealed selective safety, as NCM460 cells were less affected than cancerous SW480 cells. In vivo, ABCE markedly reduced cyst burden in a dose-dependent manner, with 40 mg/kg showing the most pronounced effect (p<0.001). Concomitantly, intestinal inflammatory markers decreased progressively with higher doses of ABCE, from modest reductions at 10 mg/kg to near-baseline levels at 40 mg/kg (TNF-α 1.17, NF-κB 1.08, and IL-1β 0.94-fold change), indicating effective modulation of the host inflammatory response.
Conclusion: ABCE demonstrated potent anti-giardial and anti-inflammatory activity with minimal toxicity to normal cells, supporting its potential as a therapeutic candidate against giardiasis. Further mechanistic and pharmacokinetic studies are warranted to confirm efficacy and safety.

Keywords

Giardiasis

Herbal medicines

trophozoite

cyst

cytotoxicity

in vivo

Subjects