Molluskicidal nanoemulsion of Neomitranthes obscura (DC.) N. Silveira for schistosomiasis control.

Schistosomiasis is caused by the parasite , which uses mollusks of the genus as intermediate hosts. In 2020, approximately 241 million people worldwide underwent treatment for schistosomiasis. For this reason, the World Health Organization encourages research on alternative molluskicides based on plant species. The objective of this work was to investigate essential oil from leaf chemical composition and its essential oil nanoemulsion activity on intermediate hosts of schistosomiasis control. The major chemical components of the essential oil were zonarene, seline-3,7(11)-diene, β-selinene, and α-selinene. The nanoemulsion tested using 24-well plate methodology showed lethality and juvenile mollusks with LC values of 53.9 and 25.0 ppm after 48 h, respectively, and on their spawning with an LC of 66.2 ppm after 48 h. Additionally, the nanoemulsion exhibited an LC value against the infective form of the parasite of 11.5 ppm after 4 h. This pharmaceutical formulation acted inhibiting the acetylcholinesterase activity and was not toxic for . This result suggests the use of this nanoformulation as a promising alternative in the control of and the transmission of schistosomiasis.