Efficacy of novel albendazole salt formulations against secondary cystic echinococcosis in experimentally infected mice

• Published in: Parasitology Vol. 147; no. 13; pp. 1425 - 1432
• Main Authors: Vural, G., Yardimci, M., Kocak, M., Yasar, T. Ö., Kurt, A., Harem, I. S., Carradori, S., Sciamanna, I., Siles-Lucas, M., Fabiani, M., Hemphill, A., Lundström-Stadelmann, B., Cirilli, R., Casulli, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.11.2020
• Subjects: Abdomen; Albendazole; Albendazole - administration & dosage; Albendazole - analogs & derivatives; Anaphylaxis; Animals; Anticestodal Agents - administration & dosage; Benzimidazoles; Body weight; Cysts; Drugs; Echinococcosis; Echinococcosis - drug therapy; Echinococcus granulosus - drug effects; Enantiomers; Ethanol; Female; Genotype & phenotype; Genotypes; Infections; Inspection; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Parasites; Parasitic diseases; Pharmaceutical industry; Salt; Salts; Salts - chemistry; Scanning electron microscopy; Sodium salts; Structural integrity; Turkey; Albendazole; mouse model; salts of ricobendazole; ricobendazole; secondary cystic echinococcosis; enantiomers; salts of benzimidazoles; new formulations; efficacy; Echinococcus granulosus
• ISSN: 0031-1820; 1469-8161
• DOI: 10.1017/S0031182020001225

In this study, we evaluated the efficacy, expressed as a mean weight decrease of the whole echinococcal cyst mass, of novel benzimidazole salt formulations in a murine Echinococcus granulosus infection model. BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally infected with protoscoleces of E. granulosus (genotype G1). At 9 months post-infection, treatment with albendazole (ABZ), ricobendazole (RBZ) salt formulations, and RBZ enantiomer salts (R)-(+)-RBZ-Na and (S)-(−)-RBZ-Na formulations were initiated. Drugs were orally applied by gavage at 10 mg kg−1 body weight per day during 30 days. Experimental treatments with benzimidazole sodium salts resulted in a significant reduction of the weight of cysts compared to conventional ABZ treatment, except for the (S)-(−)-RBZ-Na enantiomer formulation. Scanning electron microscopy and histological inspection revealed that treatments impacted not only the structural integrity of the parasite tissue in the germinal layer, but also induced alterations in the laminated layer. Overall, these results demonstrate the improved efficacy of benzimidazole salt formulations compared to conventional ABZ treatment in experimental murine cystic echinococcosis.