Effects of levamisole on experimental infections by Plasmodium berghei in mice

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Enrique Melendez C., Antoniana U. Krettli
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 1987
• Subjects: Malária; Plasmodium berghei; Cepa cloroquina-resistente; Levamisol; Imunoestimulante; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0037-86821987000400002; https://doaj.org/article/620aad4c980f434d97f04be4683e03f2

Levamisole (phenylimidothiazol), considered a strong immunostimulant, when administered to healthy Swiss mice did not cause a significant increase in -the weight of their thymus, liver and spleen, even though the drug was used at different times before removing such organs. High doses ofdrug used in the 4-day prophylactic scheme had no antimalarial effect. However, when given to malaria infected mice 24 hours before, at the same time, and 24 hours after the inoculation of a chloroquine-sensitive or a chloroquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium berghei small doses of the drug induced a somewhat decreased parasitemia, the dose of 1 mg/kg body weight before the inoculum being the best scheme. The mortality rates by malaria in the levamisole treated groups were also delayed although all mice finally died. The data suggest that levamisole may display a stimulant effect on the depressed immune response caused by malaria.