Nematodicidal activity of flubendazole and its reduced metabolite on a murine model of Trichinella spiralis infection.
BACKGROUND
Flubendazole (FLBZ) is a broad-spectrum benzimidazole anthelmintic compound. The parent FLBZ is metabolized to its reduced (R-FLBZ) and hydrolyzed (H-FLBZ) metabolites. There are no data on the potential nematodicidal activity of R-FLBZ, the main plasma metabolite found in sheep and mice. The goal of the current work was to assess the efficacy of FLBZ and R-FLBZ against Trichinella spiralis in a mouse model.


METHODS
Both compounds were administered to Balb/c mice infected with T. spiralis as either a cyclodextrin aqueous solution or as a carboxymethylcellulose suspension. Treatments were performed orally (5 mg/kg) at 1 day after infection with T. spiralis. The efficacy of the treatments was assessed at day 6 after infection.


RESULTS
While the efficacy obtained for FLBZ and R-FLBZ administered as a solution was 94 and 98%, respectively, the efficacies obtained after the treatment with FLBZ suspensions were 38% (FLBZ) and 64% (R-FLBZ).


CONCLUSIONS
Under the current experimental conditions, a high nematodicidal efficacy of both FLBZ and R-FLBZ administered as solution preparations was observed.
Laboratorio de Farmacología, Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil (CIVETAN), CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, UNCPBA, Campus Universitario, Tandil, Argentina.
Lucía
L
Urbizu
Alejandra
A
Confalonieri
Sergio
S
Sánchez Bruni
Carlos
C
Lanusse
Luis
L
Ignacio Alvarez
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002266:Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium / Q000737:chemistry; D003505:Cyclodextrins / Q000737:chemistry; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008463:Mebendazole / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D017160:Trichinella spiralis / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014235:Trichinellosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000871:Anthelmintics; D003505:Cyclodextrins; D008463:Mebendazole; D002266:Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium; C018945:flubendazole