Effect of the broad spectrum anthelmintic drug flubendazole upon Schistosoma mansoni experimentally infected mice

The effect of the broad spectrum anthelmintic drug flubendazole (methyl 5-( p-fluorobenzoyl)2-benzimidazolecarbamate, CAS 31430-15-6), a mebendazole de rivative with a molecular weight of 313.29, on Schistosoma mansoni infectio n in mice was evaluated. Moreover, the relationship between the posttreatme nt worm burden, hepatic granuloma volume, and serum immunoglobulin profile (immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M, IgG and IgM), was also investigated . Two main groups of Swiss albino mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni ce rcariae were used in the experiment. Group I consisted of infected untreate d control mice. The mice of group II were submitted to treatment with flube ndazole 100 mg/kg body weight as single oral dose at different time interva ls: Group IIa received treatment 24 h before infection. Group IIb received treatment 4 h after infection. Group IIc received treatment 25 days after i nfection. Mice treated 25 days after infection, compared to those treated i n other time intervals, revealed a significant reduction in the recovery of adult schistosomes after portal perfusion (79.5 %), a lower immunoglobulin level (IgG and IgM), and the smallest granuloma mean diameter (220.0 +/- 1 0.3 mum). These data were less salient in mice treated 4 h after, and 24 h before infection.