In vivo and In vitro Anti-hydatidosis Effect of Garlic: A Systematic Review

Background: Hydatidosis is a parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato. The aim of the current systematic review study was to clarify the effect of garlic on hydatid cyst in vivo and in vitro. Methods: We performed our analyses up to Feb 20, 2021, in accordance with the PRISMA guideline. We systematically searched five English databases (Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, Ovid and Cochrane) and four Persian databases (Scientific Information Database [SID], Iran Medex, Iran Doc, and Magiran) with appropriate syntax. The data was extracted from the relevant articles and analyzed. Results: From 160 studies obtained by initial search, nine studies were selected for further analysis. Among 6 in vitro studies, 3 (50%) used methanolic extract, 2 (34%) hydroalcoholic and chloroformic extract, and 1 (16%) chloroformic extract. Two (67%) studies used BALB/c mice, and one study (33%) used Swiss albino mice. The method of treatment of mice in all studies was oral. The results showed that garlic has a mild to potent effect on hydatidosis, and this effect was more considerable in vitro than in vivo. Conclusion: Based on the results of various studies, it can be concluded that Allium sativum extract can be used as a suitable alternative to drugs such as albendazole or can be used as a complementary treatment to reduce the dose of the current drugs.