Anticoccidial and Antioxidant Activities of an Ethanolic Extract of Teucrium polium Leaves on Eimeria papillate-Infected Mice

Simple Summary: Coccidiosis is an infectious disease that mainly affects cattle, chickens, goats, and sheep. Its source is the genus Eimeria, which produces coccidian protozoans that cause intestinal damage to their hosts. The oral intake of eimerian oocysts, which release infectious sporozoites within the colon, is the first step in the infection process. Eventually, oocysts are released with feces after they successively enter intestinal epithelial cells, where asexual multiplication occurs. Due to the widespread drug resistance brought on by the widespread use of currently available anticoccidial medicines, research into novel therapeutic approaches is being conducted. Various substances obtained from plants have shown promising and optimal anticoccidial as well as extra-therapeutic effects, in addition to other options. In Saudi Arabia, natural sources have been examined as potential controls for murine coccidiosis. Among these sources is Teucrium polium. Due to the aforementioned characteristics, the objective of this study was to examine T. polium leaf extract's anticoccidial and antioxidant effects in Eimeria papillata-infected mice. Eimeria spp. are responsible for the economic loss of both domestic and wild animals due to coccidiosis, the most common parasitic disease. The resistance to currently available drugs used to treat coccidiosis has been proven. Medicinal plants that contain physiologically active phytochemicals have been widely used in traditional medicine. Teucrium polium leaf extract (TPLE) has been shown to exhibit pharmacological, antioxidant, and anticoccidial properties in different experiments. Here, our investigation focused on how T. polium leaf extract affected the way that Eimeria papillate caused intestinal injury in mice. Thirty-five male Swiss albino mice were divided into seven groups, as follows: group I: untreated and uninfected (negative control); group II: uninfected, treated group with TPLE (150 mg/kg b.w); and group III: infected untreated (positive control). Groups III-VII were orally administered 10(3) sporulated E. papillata oocysts. A total of 60 min after infection, groups IV-VI were treated for five successive days with 50, 150, and 250 mg/kg b.w TPLE, respectively, while group VII was treated with amprolium (120 mg/kg b.w.). The mice had been euthanized on the fifth day post-infection, and the jejunum tissues were prepared for histology and oxidative stress studies. A total of 150 mg/kg of TPLE was the most effective dosage, significantly decreasing oocyst output by about 80.5%, accompanied by a significant reduction in the number of developmental parasitic phases in jejunal sections. In addition, the decrease in the number of goblet cells in the jejuna of mice raised after treatment. Also, TPLE greatly diminished the body weight loss of infected mice. Moreover, our research proved that TPLE reduced oxidative damage due to E. papillata infection via decreasing intestinal malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels and increasing reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) levels. These results demonstrated that TPLE had potent anticoccidial properties. TPE's efficacy as a natural antioxidant has also been demonstrated in reducing oxidative stress and enhancing antioxidant systems to mitigate biochemical and histological changes in the jejunum caused by E. papillata.