Silymarin and its effect on improving the health of cattle infected with liver flukes, a clinical and pathological study

Abstract

Fascioliasis is a global parasitic disease with economic consequences. In Iraq, it represents a major health problem for ruminants. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of the herbal extract (silymarin) in improving the health of cattle naturally infected with liver flukes and treated with an anthelmintic (rafoxanide). The study included 9 head of cattle (6 females and 3 males) aged 3 to 7 years, divided into three groups (G1, G2, G3), each containing 3 animals, 2 females and 1 male: G1 was untreated, G2 was treated with rafoxanide alone (7.5 mg/kg orally on days 1, 8, and 15), and G3 was treated with rafoxanide as in Group 2 with silymarin (1200 mg orally daily from day 1 to day 22). The efficacy of the two drugs was evaluated by liver function tests using serum parameters such as bilirubin, total protein, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT). In addition to evaluating the histopathological changes in the livers of slaughtered males, a light microscope was used. Liver histopathological showed the main lesions: inflammation, necrosis, fibrosis, and hyperplasia of bile ducts in groups G1 and G2, biochemical analysis showed significant increases in AST, ALP, GGT, bilirubin, and total protein levels. Group G3 treated with rafoxanide and silymarin showed significant improvements in both biochemical and histopathological parameters (P < 0.05). Therefore, it is concluded that silymarin had superior hepatoprotective and regenerative activity when administered with immunotherapy. Rafoxanide.