Chinese herbal medicine Yin-Chen-Extract as an adjunct to anthelmintic albendazole used against Angiostrongylus cantonensis-induced eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis.
The effects of albendazole and Yin-Chen-Extract co-therapy on Angiostrongylus cantonensis-induced eosinophilic meningitis in BALB/c mice were evaluated. Assay indicators for the therapeutic effect include worm recovery, histopathological score of the fourth ventricle, tissue-type plasminogen activator, urokinase-type plasminogen activator, matrix metalloproteinase-9, cerebrospinal fluid total protein, leukocyte counts, and proinflammatory cytokines. As a result, albendazole and Yin-Chen-Extract co-therapy significantly decreased (P < 0.05) these factors. Although Yin-Chen-Extract may possess pharmacologic activities beneficial to the inhibition of parasite-induced inflammation, many of these hypothetical benefits await scientific testing and confirmation before application. This study suggests that the combination of Yin-Chen-Extract and albendazole has synergistic effects in managing eosinophilic meningitis or eosinophilic meningoencephalitis.
Lai
Shih-Chan
SC
Department of Parasitology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taiwan. shih@csmu.edu.tw
D015766:Albendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008581:Meningitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009349:Nematode Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics
D000871:Anthelmintics; D017931:DNA Primers; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007375:Interleukin-1; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D015766:Albendazole