Pomegranate ( Punica granatum ) Peel Inhibits the In Vitro and In Vivo Growth of Piroplasm Parasites.

Pomegranate ( Punica granatum ) peel has seen a rapid surge in attention as a medical and nutritional product over the last decade. The impact of pomegranate peel methanolic extract monotherapy and combination therapy on the in vitro growth of Babesia ( B. ) bovis , B. bigemina , B. divergens , B. caballi , and Theileria ( T. ) equi , as well as B. microti in mice, was investigated in this work. Fluorescence-based SYBR green I assay was used for evaluating the inhibitory antibabesial efficacy of pomegranate ( Punica granatum ) peel against the growth of several piroplasm parasites in vitro and in vivo . Celltac α MEK-6450 computerized haematology analyzer was used for monitoring the haematological parameters of treated mice every 4 days. Pomegranate peel inhibited the in vitro growth of B. bovis , B. bigemina , B. divergens , T. equi , and B. caballi in a dose-dependent manner, with IC 50 values of 154.45 ± 23.11, 40.90 ± 9.35, 72.71 ± 14.77, 100 ± 16.20, and 77.27 ± 16.94  μ g/ml, respectively. On a B. bovis culture, the in vitro inhibitory effect of pomegranate peel was amplified when it was combined with diminazene aceturate (DA). Combination therapy of pomegranate peel and a low dose of DA (15 mg kg -1 ) inhibited B. microti growth significantly ( P < 0.05) higher than the treatment with the full dose of DA (25 mg kg -1 ) in B. microti -infected mice. These findings suggest that pomegranate peel might be a potential medicinal plant for babesiosis treatment, especially when combined with a low dosage of DA.