Effect of Tinidazole Treatment on Experimental Giardia Infection in Male Rats

Author(s): Hamoo. R.N , Suaan.A.H
Date: 08/10/2026
doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8425890

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Abstract

This study investigated the effect of tinidazole treatment in eliminating Giardia parasite in experimentally 
infected male rats. The study included some parameters targeted by Giardia in glucose metabolism, insulin 
values, liver enzymes, and albumin in the serum of male rats after four weeks of infection. Results using 
tinidazole showed that some parameters approached normal levels. Glucose levels showed the lowest 
value in the fourth week post-infection (131.±14.30) mg/dL as shown in Table (1), with a recovery rate of 
68.67%, indicating the efficacy of tinidazole in reducing the parasite's effect on glucose pathways and 
enhancing insulin secretion and glucose absorption. Insulin resistance HOMA-IR approached the normal 
limit in all infected groups, with the lowest value in the second and third weeks, then returning to the 
normal limit (14.87±1.63) in the fourth week compared to the control group, with an insulin recovery rate 
of 73.09%. In contrast, insulin sensitivity values decreased, with the lowest value (0.199±0.034) in the 
third week post-infection compared to the control group. Results also showed tinidazole's effectiveness in 
indirectly reducing the parasite's effect on liver enzymes, with a slight effect on ALT(GPT), AST(GOT) 
levels. Albumin levels were close to the control group in weeks 2, 3, and 4, with the best value (2.23±0.38) 
g/dL and a recovery rate of 90.00% in the second week post-infection.

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