Scanning microfluorimetric studies of anticholinergic drugs in Schistosoma mansoni.
A microfluorimetric technique has been used to analyze fluorescence in specimens of Schistosoma mansoni labeled with a dansylated analog of acetylcholine. Anticholinergic drugs inhibit the fluorescent labeling of living specimens. The effectiveness of anticholinergic agents can be expressed as a fractional decrease in observed fluorescence of specimens, and several drugs have been compared in this context. Atropine, eserine, carbachol and mecamylamine block fluorescence only at high concentrations (10(-4)--10(-3) M) while trifluoperazine and hycanthone block strongly at lower concentrations (10(-5) M). The findings reported here suggest that the relative activity of anticholinergic drugs is different in schistosomes and vertebrates.
D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000187:drug effects; D003619:Dansyl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D010276:Parasympatholytics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
D003619:Dansyl Compounds; D010276:Parasympatholytics