[In vitro effect of combined traditional Chinese medicine (Changqing capsule) on the tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii].
OBJECTIVE
To detect the in vitro effect of the traditional Chinese medicine on the tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii.


METHODS
Supernatant (1.5 ml) of different doses of the traditional Chinese medicine (Changqing capsule) was collected by normal saline immersion and 2.5 x 10(4) Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites were added in each paste well for 8 hours. Spiramycin, pyrimethamine and azithromycin in different doses were used as controls. Normal saline was used as negative control. Mice were inoculated with drug-treated tachyzoites intraperitoneally or intragastrically. The normal mice were subcultured after 8 days for 3 generations.


RESULTS
The incident number of the infected mice was significantly different among groups with different drugs and doses: 2/60, 16/60, 10/60 and 10/60 in the groups of Changqing capsule, spiramycin, pyrimethamine and azithromycin respectively (P < 0.05). No mice were found incident in groups of high and medium dose Changqing capsule while 2 out of 20 found sick in the low dose group (P < 0.05). The subculture observation showed that 2 and 1 mice in the first generation of the low dose Changqing capsule group inoculated intraperitonelly and intragastrically were found infected respectively. 2 mice of the second generation in low dose spiramycin group and 1 mouse of the third generation in low dose pyrimethamine group were also found infected.


CONCLUSIONS
The in vitro killing effect of the Changqing capsule on the tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii is better than the current clinical drugs and shows a positive correlation with the dosages.
Zhang
Wei
W
Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, China.
Fang
Fu-rong
FR
Liu
Yuan-jiao
YJ
Yang
Lian-di
LD
Luo
Ruo-yu
RY
Gong
Fei
F
Lu
Hui
H
Xu
Xiao-xia
XX
D000818:Animals; D002214:Capsules; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008517:Phytotherapy; D011897:Random Allocation; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000187:drug effects*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D002214:Capsules; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C534048:changqing