Breaking-then-curing strategy for efficient cystic echinococcosis therapy

摘要

Cystic echinococcosis(CE)is one of the most harmful and life-threatening helminths.As the essential therapeutics,chemotherapy is always difficult to achieve desired anti-echinococcal effect due to the problems that the echinococcus granulosus cyst laminated layer makes the drug difficult to infiltrate and the poor solubility of drugs.In this study,we established a“breaking-then-curing”anti-echinococcal treatment strategy for efficient CE therapy.The photodynamic therapy(PDT)was used as a breaker to produce toxic reactive oxygen species(ROS)and damage the laminated layer of protoscolices(PSCs),leading to enhanced infiltration of albendazole sulfoxide nanoparticles(ABZSO NPs).Then,ABZSO NP was worked as curer for efficient anti-echinococcal treatment.As a result,the breaking-then-curing treatment strategy could generate more intracellular ROS in PSCs induced by plenty of ABZSO NPs,greatly increasing the mortality rate of PSCs in a shorter time than using ABZSO NPs alone,leading to the attenuation of laminated layer and finally disintegrating PSCs.We believe the“breaking-then-curing”strategy will suggest great potential in the treatment of CE and provide a new sight for anti-echinococcal treatment.