title: Similar cellular responses after treatment with either praziquantel or oxamniquine in Schistosoma mansoni infection.
abstract: The effect of treatment with either oxamniquine or praziquantel on S.mansoni specific IFN-gamma, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 was compared on PBMC which were collected pretreatment, 6 and 18 weeks post treatment. Using sandwich ELISA on the supernatants harvested from the PBMC stimulation by crude S. mansoni SEA and SWAP antigens after 5 days the levels of PBMC proliferation and cytokine production were similar according to treatment with either praziquantel or oxamniquine. Before treatment, infected groups showed low ratios, of IL-4:IFN-gamma, IL-5:IFNgamma and IL-10:IFN-gamma, indicating that IFN-gamma was high in the infected individuals. The general increase in immuno-modulation was observed post-treatment with elevated immune reactivity and cytokine production in both treatment groups. Treatment induced significant increases in levels of IL-4 (p < 0.05), IL-5 (p < 0.0001) and IL-10 (p < 0.05) cytokines 6 and 18 weeks after treatment. There were no significant differences in the increase in IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 between children treated with praziquantel or oxamniquine. Pre-treatment IFN-gamma and IL-5 levels were positively correlated with infection (p < 0.001), while post treatment IL-4 cytokine levels were negatively correlated with baseline infection status (p < 0.001). The results suggest that treatment-induced immune responses are similar for both common anti-schistosome drugs praziquantel or oxamniquine having similar and immunizing effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: Takafira
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mduluza
authors.forename: Francisca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mutapi
authors.forename: Tinashe
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ruwona
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kaluka
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Midzi
authors.forename: Patricia D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Ndhlovu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D010073:Oxamniquine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011223:Praziquantel / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015030:Zimbabwe / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D016207:Cytokines; D010073:Oxamniquine; D011223:Praziquantel