Zubiria Ibarguren, IzaroAbreu Ramos, InêsBoso Dafonte, DavidPérez Anzúrez, GustavoCazapal Monteiro, Cristiana FilipaSánchez-Andrade Fernández, RitaArias Vázquez, María SolPaz Silva, AdolfoHernández Malagón, José ÁngelCamiña García, María Mercedes2025-07-162025-07-162025-07-12Zubiría, I.; Abreu, I.; Boso, D.; Pérez, G.; Cazapal, C.; Sánchez-Andrade, R.; Arias, M.S.; Paz-Silva, A.; Hernández, J.Á.; Camiña, M. Agar–Agar Gels Carrying Curative and Preventive Agents Against Helminths: An In Vitro Compatibility Evaluation. Gels 2025, 11, 542. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11070542https://hdl.handle.net/10347/42500The global market size of animal parasiticides was valued at USD 12.9 billion in 2024. Animal deworming only results in temporary cures with little to no preventive effects; therefore, a strategy that combines animal deworming with prevention is essential in improving the control of helminths. The effectiveness of co-administrating curative and preventive agents and their compatibility were considered based on the parasitophagous fungus Mucor circinelloides, which was developed in edible agar–agar (red seaweed)-carrying dewormers. Accordingly, Petri dishes were prepared with either a biopolymer alone (control, G-C) or with the anthelmintic piperazine (550, 1102, 2210, and 5500 mg/plate) or levamisole (37.5, 75, 150, and 300 mg/plate) and were used to culture the fungus Mucor circinelloides. Strong fungal growth and high numbers of spores were observed in the presence of the anthelmintics. No differences were measured between the control plates and those containing parasiticide drugs. Similar mycelial growth patterns and sporogenesis rates were recorded for different amounts of each anthelmintic. In conclusion, this novel formulation based on biopolymers containing anthelmintics and enriched with the parasitophagous fungus represents a highly promising tool to consider for jointly deworming animals and minimizing the risks of helminth infection. Further studies are in progress to confirm these in vitro results.eng© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Attribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/EndoparasitesAnimalsDewormingMucor circinelloidesPreventionjournal article10.3390/gels110705422310-2861open access