الفهرس 
TitleOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a chronic parasitic disease caused by flukes of the genus
Schistosoma. It is one of the most prevailing endemic diseases in the world, mainly in
tropical and subtropical regions. In Egypt, schistosomiasis was the most important parasitic
disease which has plagued its people throughout the recorded history.
Chemotherapy is the most widely advocated method of schistosomiasis control.
PZQ is the only effective and commercially available drug for treatment of Schistosoma
infections in humans and domestic animals. It has minimal side effects and a high degree
of efficacy against both trematodes and cestodes. However, PZQ exhibits an important
shortcoming, i.e., the drug is only effective against the very early stage of juveniles (day 0
parasites) and adult worms but lacks activity against young developing schistosomes, and
concern is increasing that resistance has emerged in human parasites. The identification
of new and effective schistosomicidal compounds is needed to develop drugs with a
broad spectrum of activity against all stages of the parasite., An antimalarial agent
mefloquine an arylamino alcohol compound was found to have promising antischistosomal
properties against various stages of S.mansoni. Curcumin was found to have
antiprotozoal activities, in addition, it had schistosomicidal and liver protective activities.
During the present study, the effect of mefloquine alone or in combination with
curcumin on different developmental stages of S. mansoni, was assessed under laboratory
condition. In all experiments, the studied mice were infected by 100 cercariae, and then
given drugs, at 0,7,14,21,42 days of infection. They were sacrificed at seven weeks after
infection. The anti-schistosomal effect of Mefloquine (400mg/kg) alone or in combination
with curcumin was assessed by different parasitological parameters (worm burden, tissue
egg load and oogram pattern).
The results obtained in the present study could be summarized as follows:
• Oral Administration of mefloquine alone and of mefloquine in combination with
curcumin, showed a significant reduction in the worm burden, as compared to the
infected untreated group.
• Mefloquine and curcumin reduced egg load in both the liver and the intestine.
• Study of egg load per gram in intestine per worm couple denoted a possible
effect of the drugs on worm fecundity.
• There was a significant reduction in hepatic granuloma size after administration
of mefloquine in combination with curcumin particularly on the 21st day as
compared to the infected untreated group.
Summary
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• Study of the oogram pattern demonstrated higher proportion of dead eggs in the
experimental groups as compared to the control.
• Histopathological examination revealed some improvement in the liver tissue in
the groups treated with mefloquine alone and mefloquine in combination with
curcumin.