Breaking-then-curing strategy for efficient cystic echinococcosis therapy

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.