Effects of levamisole on experimental infections by Plasmodium berghei in mice

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Enrique Melendez C., Antoniana U. Krettli
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 1987
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Online Access:https://doaj.org/article/8b650a6dc3304d9ba416d88040e7d418
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Summary: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. Levamisol (fenilimidotiazol), considerado urn potente imunoestimulante, quando administrado a camundongos suíços não causou aumento significante nos pesos do timo, figado ou baço, apesar de a droga ter sido usada em diferentes tempos antes da remoção desses órgãos. Doses elevadas da droga usadas no esquema profilático de 4 dias não tiveram efeito antimalárico. Entretanto quando dada a camundongos com malária, 24 horas antes, ao mesmo tempo ou 24 horas após inoculação de uma cepa de Plasmodium berghei cloroquina-sensível ou uma cepa cloroquina- resistente o levamisol reduziu, ainda que discretamente, a parasitemia nos grupos tratados, sendo a dose de 1 mg/kg o melhor esquema. Foi observado também atraso na mortalidade por malária nos grupos tratados com o levamisol. No entanto, todos os animais morreram. Os dados sugerem que o levamisol tem efeito imunoestimulante, ainda que discreto, na resposta imune de animais, deprimida pela malária.