As. Hussein et Rd. Walter, INHIBITION OF GLUTATHIONE SYNTHESIS OF ASCARIS-SUUM BY BUTHIONINE SULFOXIMINE, Parasitology research, 82(4), 1996, pp. 372-374
We investigated the effect of DL-buthionine-S,R-sulfoximine (BSO), a s
elective glutathione (GSH)depleting agent, on the GSH synthesis of Asc
aris suum. The GSH concentrations of the reproductive and muscle tissu
es of A. suum were determined to be 8.5+/-0.3 and 14.3+/-1.3 (n=3) nmo
l/mg protein, respectively. After treatment of the parasites with 10 m
u M BSO for 24 h, the GSH content of the reproductive tissue of A. suu
m was totally depleted as compared with that of untreated controls. Ho
wever, the GSH levels of the muscle tissue were reduced to only 50% af
ter treatment of the worms for 24 h with 10 mu M BSO. Exogenous GSH ha
d no significant effect on the GSH level of the parasites when the wor
ms were incubated for 4 h in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 1 mM G
SH. In the presence of exogenous GSH, BSO was less effective in deplet
ing the GSH levels of the parasites, which may indicate that the paras
ites can replenish their GSH levels. GSH depletion, which has been dis
cussed as being therapeutically effective when normal and tumor cells
or parasites have markedly different requirements for GSH, may have ap
plications in the development of drugs against nematode infections.