title: Parasiticidal effect of 16alpha-bromoepiandrosterone (EpiBr) in amoebiasis and cysticercosis.
abstract: The effect of the dehydroepiandrosterone analog 16alpha-bromoepiandrosterone (EpiBr) was tested on the tapeworm Taenia crassiceps and the protist Entamoeba histolytica, both in vivo and in vitro. Administration of EpiBr prior to infection with cysticerci in mice reduced the parasite load by 50% compared with controls. EpiBr treatment induced 20% reduction on the development of amoebic liver abscesses in hamsters. In vitro treatment of T. crassiceps and E. histolytica cultures with EpiBr, reduced reproduction, motility and viability in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. These results leave open the possibility of assessing the potential of this hormonal analog as a possible anti-parasite drug, including cysticercosis and amoebiasis.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Inmunología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México DF, Mexico. carrero@biomedicas.unam.mx
authors.forename: Julio César
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Carrero
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cervantes-Rebolledo
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Vargas-Villavicencio
authors.forename: Romel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hernández-Bello
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dowding
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frincke
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reading
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morales-Montor
mesh_terms: D000562:Amebiasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology*; D000738:Androsterone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D006224:Cricetinae; D003551:Cysticercosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology*; D004748:Entamoeba histolytica / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008100:Liver Abscess / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013621:Taenia / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; C032020:16-bromoepiandrosterone; D000738:Androsterone