Fa. Ebeid, EFFICACY OF A COMBINATION OF METRIFONATE AND PRAZIQUANTEL IN THE TREATMENT OF SCHISTOSOMA-MANSONI INFECTION IN ALBINO MICE, Arzneimittel-Forschung, 45-1(4), 1995, pp. 519-521
This study aimed to test the therapeutic effect of two antischistosoma
l drugs metrifonate (CAS 52-68-6) praziquantel (GAS 55268-74-1), eithe
r alone or in combination, on mice infected with schistosoma marsoni.
Both drugs were given in half of their therapeutic doses 8 weeks post
infection. Animals were sacrificed two weeks after the last dose. The
efficacy of the drugs was evaluated using the number of ova/g tissue t
he distribution and the number of Schistosoma worms. Praziquantel and
metrifonate alone produced about 91 % and 22 % reduction in total worm
burden. The reduction in ova count in intestine and liver was 96 % an
d 85 %, respectively, using praziquantel alone while it was only 6 and
12 %, respectively, after metrifonate treatment. After treatment with
both drugs given in combination the number of ova count was not chang
ed as compared with praziquantel alone; also there was no change in th
e worm load as compared with praziquantel. It is concluded that a comb
ination of a low dose of praziquantel with metrifonate failed to produ
ce any significantly better effect.