Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1994 May-Jun;88(3):340-3.
Albendazole chemotherapy for human cystic and alveolar echinococcosis in north-western China.

Wen H, Zou PF, Yang WG, Lu J, Wang YH, Zhang JH, New RR, Craig PS.

Department of Surgery, Xinjiang Medical College, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.

Human echinococcosis is highly endemic in north-western China; the main treatment is by surgery. In this paper, we report the results of chemotherapy with albendazole (ABZ), 15-20 mg/kg/d orally, for 30 d with intervals of 10 d between treatments for 3-6 courses. For multi-organ cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE), patients were given 12-18 courses of ABZ. Patients were divided into 4 groups: (i) ABZ surgery group, albendazole with surgery for 21 CE cases: (ii) non-ABZ surgery group, 80 CE cases treated by surgery alone; (iii) ABZ CE group, albendazole treatment alone in 58 CE cases, and (iv) ABZ AE group, 14 AE patients treated by albendazole and surgical intervention and 5 AE patients treated by albendazole alone. Twenty-seven of 34 (79.4%) cysts in group (i) patients showed increased necrotic changes and decreased viability of the cysts compared to group (ii). However, 10 of 84 (11.9%) cysts in group (ii) patients showed spontaneous evidence of necrosis at surgery. In group (iii), ABZ treatment alone was successful in 14 (24.1%), resulted in improvement in 29 (50%) and had no effect in 15 (25.9%) patients. Seven cases in group (iv) improved, with diminished size of lesions which were non-viable. The remaining 7 cases in group (iv) showed evidence of cyst viability at surgery; 2 could not be saved after a further 15 courses of albendazole. Of the five AE patients in group (iv) who received only ABZ, one improved, 2 stabilized, one deteriorated and one died. Albendazole chemotherapy, while not completely effective, has an important role in treatment of both cystic and alveolar echinococcosis.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7974683&dopt=Abstract albendazole Albenza




Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1994 Aug;38(8):1834-7.
Albendazole inhibits Pneumocystis carinii proliferation in inoculated immunosuppressed mice.

Bartlett MS, Edlind TD, Lee CH, Dean R, Queener SF, Shaw MM, Smith JW.

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis 46202.

Albendazole, a benzimidazole derivative widely used for treating helminth infections, was successfully used to treat and prevent development of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in transtracheally inoculated immunosuppressed mice. For treatment, 3 weeks postinoculation, albendazole at 300 and 600 mg/kg of body weight per day was administered in food for 3 weeks. For prophylaxis, albendazole was begun on the same day as inoculation at 300 mg/kg/day for 7 days, and then the dose was reduced to 150 mg/kg/day for 35 additional days. With these regimens, albendazole was effective both for treatment and prophylaxis. Both dexamethasone-immunosuppressed and L3T4+ monoclonal antibody-immunosuppressed mouse models were used, and albendazole inhibited P. carinii infection in both.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7986016&dopt=Abstract albendazole Albenza




Zhongguo Yao Li Xue Bao. 1994 Jan;15(1):69-72.
Effects of mebendazole, albendazole, and praziquantel on fumarate hydratase, pyruvate kinase, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase of Echinococcus granulosus cyst wall harbored in mice.

Xiao SH, Feng JJ, Guo HF, Jiao PY, Yao MY, Jiao W.

Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Shanghai.

Echinococcus granulosus cyst wall exhibited activities of fumarate hydratase (FH), pyruvate kinase (PK), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) with 911-1433, 151-215, and 54-98U, respectively. The ratio of PK/PEPCK was 2.2-2.7, indicating that glycolysis is the main pathway of carbohydrate metabolism in the cyst wall. When infected mice were treated ig with mebendazole, albendazole or praziquantel at the respective daily dose of 25-50, 300, and 500 mg.kg-1 for 7-14 d, no apparent change of FH activity in the cyst wall was found, while PK and PEPCK activities in the cyst wall were markedly inhibited by mebendazole and albendazole. The inhibition rates of PK and PEPCK activities in mebendazole group were 85-88% and 90-92%, respectively, while in albendazole group were 55.3 and 71.6%, respectively. The results suggest that PK or PEPCK in the cyst wall may the important site attacked by effective anti-hydatid drugs.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8010090&dopt=Abstract albendazole Albenza




Int J Parasitol. 1994 Apr;24(2):219-24.
The effects of albendazole and albendazole sulphoxide combination-therapy on Echinococcus granulosus in vitro.

Perez-Serrano J, Casado N, Guillermo, Denegri, Rodriguez-Caabeiro F.

Laboratory of Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain.

Protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus were incubated in vitro with decreasing concentrations of either albendazole (ABZ) or albendazole sulphoxide (ABZ.SO) (50, 10, 1 and 0.1 micrograms ml-1), and in combination. Viability was assessed by the methylene blue exclusion test and establishment of infection in mice. Protoscolex ultrastructure was determined by means of transmission and scanning electron microscopy. ABZ and ABZ.SO, when used separately had protoscolicidal activity after a longer incubation period (30 days) than when used as combined compounds. When incubated in the presence of ABZ + ABZ.SO, protoscolex viability dropped rapidly. That is, protoscoleces were all non-viable at 12 days of exposure, with no cyst developing following their inoculation into mice. The ultrastructural changes induced by ABZ or ABZ.SO alone, were: (a) rostellar disorganization, (b) formation of numerous blebs on the tegument, (c) loss of the microtriches, (d) increased vesiculation within the tegumentary cytons together, (e) an increase in lipid deposits and (f) depletion of glycogen reserves. After incubation with combined ABZ and ABZ.SO the tegument contained numerous blebs which became detached, leaving debris only, some intact nuclei being discernible in the protoscolex parenchyma.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8026899&dopt=Abstract albendazole Albenza




Am J Vet Res. 1993 Dec;54(12):2171-4.
Safety of albendazole in developing bovine fetuses.

Theodorides VJ, Carakostas MC, Colaianne JJ, Freeman JF, Page SW.

Department of Toxicology, SmithKline Beecham Animal Health, West Chester, PA 19380.

Albendazole, administered orally at a dose rate of 25 mg/kg of body weight to presumed pregnant cows or heifers on days 21, 31, 41, 51, and 61 of gestation, did not induce toxicosis in embryos or fetuses, and all calves born were structurally normal. Albendazole administration at a rate of 25 mg/kg to cows at 7 and/or 14 days of gestation decreased the apparent conception rate (ie, embryolethality), but did not have a teratogenic effect. Apparent embryolethality was greater in cows administered 25 mg/kg only on day 14, compared with those administered the drug only on day 7. Single dosage of 25 mg/kg given in the final 3 months of gestation did not induce abortion. There were no adverse effects of albendazole at a dosage of 10 or 15 mg/kg on developing embryos or fetuses when administered to presumed pregnant cows at various times in early gestation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8116955&dopt=Abstract albendazole Albenza




East Afr Med J. 1993 Oct;70(10):643-5.
Pharmacokinetics of albendazole in children with hydatid disease.

Okelo GB, Hagos B, Ng'ang'a JN, Ogeto JO.

Ministry of Health, Nairobi.

The pharmacokinetics of albendazole were investigated in five children who were hospitalized at the Kenyatta National Hospital for the treatment of hydatid disease. Unchanged albendazole was below detectable level in plasma. The major metabolite present was albendazole sulphoxide. In one of the patients, the concentration of albendazole sulphone in plasma was significantly high, whereas in the other four children, only trace amounts were detected. Maximum concentrations of albendazole sulphoxide in these five children were variable and generally higher than those reported in adults by other workers. Other pharmacokinetic parameters were comparable to those found in other studies.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8187662&dopt=Abstract albendazole Albenza




J Anal Toxicol. 1994 Mar-Apr;18(2):86-90.
Determination of albendazole metabolites in plasma by HPLC.

Valois ME, Takayanagui OM, Bonato PS, Lanchote VL, Carvalho D.

Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Maranhao, Brazil.

Albendazole is an antihelminthic agent belonging to the benzimidazole class and has been used successfully in the treatment of neurocysticercosis. We report here a method for the determination of the two major albendazole metabolites in plasma, albendazole sulfone and albendazole sulfoxide. The method consists of drug extraction from 500 microL of plasma previously acidified with chloroform-isopropanol (9:1, v/v) and extract purification with n-hexane immediately before chromatographic analysis. Separation of drugs and of the internal standard (mebendazole) was performed on an RP-18 column using acetonitrile-0.25N sodium acetate buffer (3:7, v/v), pH 5.0, as the mobile phase and using detection at 290 nm.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8207939&dopt=Abstract albendazole Albenza