[The experimental study of garlicin in treating Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the therapeutic effect of garlicin on Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) of immunosuppressed rats.


METHODS
The Wistar rats were injected intramuscularly continually with dexamethasone for eight weeks to establish the rat model of PCP. The rats were treated with garlicin, meanwhile control groups without treatment and with SMZ-TMP treatment were established respectively in PCP model. The efficacy was evaluated based on the lung weight, lung/body weight ratio and mean cyst number per 100 fields in lung print smear.


RESULTS
The mean lung weight of the rats in garlicin is 1.73 +/- 0.17, lung/body weight ratio is 0.84 +/- 0.12, they are obvious lower than 2.31 +/- 0.35 and 1.25 +/- 0.35 of control (P <0.01). The numbers of cysts in lung print smear is reduced 62.9% compared with control. The results is similar to that with SMZ-TMP.


CONCLUSIONS
Garlicin shows an obvious therapeutic effect on Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in rats with an efficacy similar to that with SMZ-TMP.
Lu
Zhi-min
ZM
Department of Parasitology, Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou 075000, China.
Tang
Hong-wei
HW
Zhang
Zhen-ming
ZM
Liu
Jin-hua
JH
Zhang
Jin-shun
JS
Zhang
Wei-zhen
WZ
D000498:Allyl Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003907:Dexamethasone; D004220:Disulfides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D016720:Pneumocystis Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D000498:Allyl Compounds; D000935:Antifungal Agents; D004220:Disulfides; C028009:diallyl disulfide; D003907:Dexamethasone