Acta tropica
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Comparative Study
Tegumental changes in adult Schistosoma mansoni harboured in mice treated with praziquantel enantiomers.
Praziquantel administered to the host causes damage to the tegument of Schistosoma mansoni. In this study, the effects of racemic praziquantel (Pra) and its enantiomers, levo-praziquantel (L-Pra) and dextro-praziquantel (D-Pra) were compared using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mice infected with S. mansoni for 49 days were treated with a single dose of Pra (300 mg/kg), L-Pra (150 mg/kg) or D-Pra (150 or 600 mg/kg). ⋯ The study thus clearly showed that L-Pra was more active than D-Pra in causing tegumental damage. D-Pra showed a qualitatively similar activity at a higher concentration. It is possible that this effect was due at least to some extent to the small amount of L-Pra (<2%) which was present in the preparation of D-Pra used.