In vitro and In vivo Effects of Praziquantel on Sparganum

Abstract

An experimental study was performed to observe in vitro and in vivo effects of praziquantel on sparganum, For in vitro study, various concentrations of praziquantel solution (0,01, 0,1, 1, 10, 100 p g/ml) were prepared and spargana collected from the snake were incubated, For in vivo study, total 18 mice were fed each with 5-10 scolices of spargana, treated after 2-8 weeks with 100 mg/kg/day praziquantel for 1-5 days, and sacrificed 1 week later, Following results were obtained: L After in vitro incubation with higher than 0.1 p g/ml praziquantel the spargana expanded laterally, lost their motility and finally became immobilized, Praziquantel revealed greater effects on the neck portion of spargana, which was severely disintegrated into fragments, 2. In in vivo study, the worm recovery rates from control and praziquantel-treated mice were not different each other, to be in the range of 60-80%, and all worms recovered were alive, This result represented a failure in the treatment of sparganosis of mice, 3. However, in mice treated with praziquantel, a histological observation sometimes revealed a significant degree of destructive changes in the tegument of worms as well as invasion of host cells such as eosinophils and histiocytes. The results showed that praziquantel was highly effective in killing spargana in vitro, it did not show strong sparganocidal activity in vivo of mice by the drug regimen applied,