Abstract
The tegumental changes in adult Opisthorchis viverrini induced by tribendimidine were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We exposed O. viverrini to tribendimidine at a concentration of 10 μg/ml for 4 h. In addition, hamsters were treated with a single 400 mg/kg oral dose of tribendimidine and flukes were recovered from the bile ducts 24, 48, 72, and 96 h post-treatment. SEM analysis of the flukes incubated in vitro showed only mild damage of the tegument. Twenty-four hours post-treatment of hamsters, extensive disruption such as sloughing, furrowing, or blebbing of the tegument was evident, which did not increase in severity 48–72 h post-treatment. Ninety-six hours after tribendimidine administration, the majority of flukes had been expelled. A single 400 mg/kg oral dose of tribendimidine administered to O. viverrini-infected hamsters yielded a worm burden reduction of 63.0%. In conclusion, our experiments confirm that tribendimidine possesses interesting trematocidal properties, which warrant additional investigations and provide further data for subsequent clinical trials.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Mr. Gianni Morson at the Centre for Microscopy, University of Basel for expert help with the SEM studies. J. Keiser (project no. PPOOA-114941), J. Utzinger (project no. PPOOB-102883) and P. Odermatt (project no. NF3270B0-110020) are grateful to the Swiss National Science Foundation for financial support.
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Keiser, J., Utzinger, J., Xiao, SH. et al. Opisthorchis viverrini: efficacy and tegumental alterations following administration of tribendimidine in vivo and in vitro. Parasitol Res 102, 771–776 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0838-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0838-7