Effect of liniment levamisole on cellular immune functions of patients with chronic hepatitis B

AIM: To explore the effects of liniment levamisole on cellular immune functions of patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: The levels of T lymphocyte subsets and mlL-2R in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were measured by biotin-streptavidin (BSA) technique in patients with chronic hepatitis B before and after the treatment with liniment levamisole. RESULTS: After one course of treatment with liniment levamisole, the levels of CD3+, CD4+, and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ increased as compared to those before the treatment but the level of CD8+ decreased. The total expression level of mIL-2R in PBMCs increased before and after the treatment with liniment levamisole. CONCLUSION: Liniment levamisole may reinforce cellular immune functions of patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Effect of diminazene aceturate,levamisole and vitamin C combination therapy in rats experimentally infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei

Objective:To investigate the effect of diminazene aceturale(DA) alone or in combination with either levamisole and/or Vitamin C in albino rats experimentally infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei.Methods:Thirty adult male albino rats,randomly assigned into 6 groups(A—F) of 5rats each were used.They were either infected with 1×10~a trypanosomes intraperitoneally(groups A-E) or uninfected(group F).The different groups were treated respectively as follows:group A-with 3.5 mg/kg DA;group B-3.5 mg/kg DA and 7.5 mg/kg levamisole;group C-3.S mg/kg DA and 100 mg/kg vitamin C;and group D-3.S mg/kg DA and 7.S mg/kg levamisole and 100 mg/kg vitamin C.Croup E was left untreated.Parameters assessed include:rectal temperature,body weight changes,packed cell volume(PCV),Haemoglobin concentration(Hb),total leucocyte count(TLC) differential leucocyte count(DLC),parasitaemia,clinical signs and survivability.Results:Average pre-patent period of 5 days was recorded.Parasites in the blood were cleared in all treated groups(A-D) within 48 hours post treatment(PT).Untreated rats in group E died between25 and 32 days post infection(PI).Relapse was not recorded in all the treated groups(A-D).The initial reduction in PCV,Hb,TLC and increases in rectal temperature following infection were reversed by the treatments.The rats that received drug combinations(groups B,C and D)showed faster and higher recovery rates than the uninfected control and group A.Conclusions:Levamisole and/or Vitamin C combination with DA were more effective in the treatment of rats infected with Trypanosoma brucei brucei.

Immunostimulatory Effect of Levamisole on the Immune Response of Goats to <i>Peste des petits ruminants </i>(PPR) Vaccination

The use of Levamisole hydrochloride as an immunostimulant has been successful in the control of certain diseases such as Derzsy’s disease in chicken as well as in increasing lymphocytes and weight gain in pigs. However, its use as immunostimulant in the prevention of Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in goats has not been investigated. In this study, the use of Levamisole in enhancing immune response to PPR vaccination including its effects on weight gain was investigated among groups of goats (groups A, B, C and D). Virus neutralization test was used to determine the antibody profile in vaccinated goats while the total and differential leucocyte counts and body mass index (BMI) were determined using standard procedures. Goats in group A (Levamisole primed and PPR vaccinated) seroconverted to more than 3-folds of the initial pre-vaccination geometric mean titre (GMT) of neutralizing antibody beginning from second week post-vaccination and remained high throughout the period of the experiment. Similarly, there was significant increase (p 0.05) in BMI of animals in other groups throughout the period of the experiment. The results of this study further confirm the immunostimulatory effect of Levamisole when used in combination with a vaccine.

COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE INHIBITORY EFFECT OF GREEN TEA, COFFEE AND LEVAMISOLE ON THE HEPATOCARCINOGENIC ACTION OF DIETHYLNITROSAMINE

The present study aimed at clarifying whether Chinese green tea, coffee and levamisole (LMS) have similar Inhibitory effect on hepatocarclnogenesis induced by diethylnltrosamine (DEN) as they had been proved in our previous aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) experiments. Male Wistar rates were divided into control (A), green tea (B), coffee (C) and levamisole (D) groups. All rats received the same basic DEN treatment according to the program originally designed by Solt and Farber. During the two weeks before and one week after i. p. injection of DEN, the group B, C and D were given 2. 5% green tea, 5% coffee and 0. 1% LMS diet, respectively. The results demonstrated that coffee, LMS and , in particular,green tea showed Inhibitory effect against DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis, indicating that green tea can be used as chemopreventive agent for DEN-, as well as for AFB1-induced hepatocarcinogenesis.

Evaluation of the Fasciolicidal/Nematicidal Efficacy of an Intramuscular Combination of Clorsulon/Levamisole in Naturally Infected Dairy Cattle

The aim of the present study was to assess the fasciolicidal and nematicidal efficacy of a new combination of clorsulon/levamisole, which was formulated for intramuscular administration, in dairy cattle. For the study, sixteen Holstein-Freisian dairy cows were selected for inclusion in the trial based on finding Fasciola hepatica eggs or gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in the feces. Ten of these cows were naturally infected with F. hepatica, and 6 were naturally infected with GIN. On Day 0 (zero), all animals were treated with a combination of clorsulon (2.5 mg/kg/IM and levamisole (2.5 mg/kg/IM) administered at the dose recommended by the manufacturer (1 ml/20kg/bw). Subsequently, their feces were analyzed on days 0, 7, 14 and 21 post treatments by the Flukefinder sedimentation method and McMaster technique to determine the percentages of egg reduction in the animals, with reference to the egg load count on day 0. The results obtained in the current work indicated an efficacy of 100% that was determined by the percentage reduction of eggs of F. hepatica and/or GIN. This new fasciolicide/nematicide formulation exerted a remarkable effect and can be considered a new alternative to control F. hepatica and gastrointestinal worms in dairy cattle.

The Prevalence of Parasitic Human Intestinal Helminthes and the Efficacy of Anthelmintic Drug in Children in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria

Introduction: A study on the current status of parasitic intestinal helminthes and the efficacy of anthelmintic drug was carried out among primary school pupils at Community Primary School Ogurugu, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, Enugu State. Objectives: The research was conducted in order to determine the prevalence of human intestinal helminthes among primary school pupils, and also to determine the prevalence in relation to age and sex, and to check the efficacy of anthelmintic drug (Levamisole) on the worms, in Ogurugu Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria. Methods: A total of 242 faecal samples were collected randomly from the school children and analyzed using standard parasitological procedures. Results: Data obtained showed an overall prevalence of 143 (59.1%) out of 242 samples and that the efficacy of anthelmintic drug Ergamisole? (Levamisole R12564;Unicure Pvt.ltd India) 50 mg in reducing the worm burden was 99 (82.5%) in 120 samples treated. Age related prevalence and efficacy of anthelmintic varied across the sample groups. There was no significant difference in sex related infections in the sample group (P > 0.5). The efficacy of the drug reduces with the increase in age. Also the efficacy of Levamisole drug in reducing the worm burden were hookworm 59 (89.5%), Ascaris 24 (85.7%), Trichuris 26 (78.6%) while Taenia and Strongyloides showed drug resistance. This indicates that a single dose of the medication is not enough for total elimination of these endo parasites. Conclusion: The study revealed that poor hygienic practices as well as unsanitary conditions were responsible for high prevalence recorded in the area, and advocated health education through primary health care and mass deworming of primary school children as control measures.