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A scanning electron microscope study on the route of entry of triclabendazole into the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2009

E. TONER ,
F. McCONVERY ,
G. P. BRENNAN ,
M. MEANEY  and
I. FAIRWEATHER
E. TONER
Affiliation:
Parasite Proteomics and Therapeutics Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, The Queen's University of Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
F. McCONVERY
Affiliation:
Parasite Proteomics and Therapeutics Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, The Queen's University of Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
G. P. BRENNAN
Affiliation:
Parasite Proteomics and Therapeutics Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, The Queen's University of Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
M. MEANEY
Affiliation:
Parasite Proteomics and Therapeutics Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, The Queen's University of Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
I. FAIRWEATHER*
Affiliation:
Parasite Proteomics and Therapeutics Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, The Queen's University of Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, Northern Ireland
*
*Corresponding author: Tel: +44 28 90972298. Fax: +44 28 90975877. E-mail: i.fairweather@qub.ac.uk
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Summary

Studies have been carried out to establish the relative importance of oral and trans-tegumental uptake of triclabendazole by the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica. Experiments were designed to block either oral uptake of drug, by use of ligatures, or trans-tegumental diffusion, by allowing the drug to bind to bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the medium. Changes to the surface morphology of the tegument and gut were assessed by scanning electron microscopy. Flukes were incubated in vitro for 24 h in TCBZ.SO at a concentration of 15 μg/ml. Tegumental disruption in ligatured and non-ligatured flukes was similar, suggesting that closing the oral route did not affect drug uptake. The gut remained unaffected by drug treatment. When BSA (30 mg/ml) was present in the medium, there was a marked decline in the level of tegumental disruption. Again, the gut retained a normal morphology. Non-ligatured flukes were also incubated for 24 h in vitro in TCBZ.SO (15 μg/ml) in the presence of red blood cells. Oral ingestion of blood was demonstrated, although the gut surface retained a normal morphology. In contrast, the tegumental surface was severely affected by the drug. The findings support previous pharmacological studies which suggest that trans-tegumental uptake of triclabendazole predominates in the liver fluke.

Keywords

Fasciola hepaticatriclabendazoledrug uptakeligaturebovine serum albuminred blood cellsscanning electron microscopy
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 136 , Issue 5 , April 2009 , pp. 523 - 535
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Cambridge University Press

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