Experimental study on improving schistosomicidal effect of praziquantel by Chinese herbal immunoenhancing reagents

Objiective: To observe the influence of two Chinese medical herbal immunoenhancing reagents with different components on the schistosomicidal effect of praziquantel. Methods: Mice were infected by percutaneous infection 25 Schistosoma japonicum cercariae. After infection, from 28th day to 35th day the animals were fed with heral immunoenhancing reagents 0.5 ml per mouse per day. Then praziquantel were administered to the mice. All the mice were sacrificed at the 49th day after infection. The worms were calculated, liver egg granulomas were observed and the specific antibodies of different period were detected by ELISA. Results: Compared with the control group , the schistosomicidal effect were increased by 33.97% and 41.18% in the two groups treated with praziquantel plus Chinese medical herb. There was no dramatical change in the size of liver egg granulomas. The level of specific antibody gradually elevated when the two Chinese medical herb compounds were fed. It was significantly higher than that of the control group before praziquantel was administered. Conclusions: The two Chinese herb compounds selected can improve the effect of praziquantel in killing Schistosoma japonicum. However, they do not change the size of liver egg granulomas. These may be related to that the herb can improve the host immune response,especially enhance the specific antibody production.