RESUMEN
The present study was carried out to investigate the influence of Schistosoma mansoni infection on the levels of thiobarbituric acid- reactive substances [TBARS] as free radicals and on the activity of Na+, K+ -ATPase and Ca+2, Mg+2 -ATPase in the livers and brains of male mice after 33 days of infection with 60, 120, 180 and 300 cercariae/mouse. The study showed that the levels of free radicals increased with increasing the intensity of S. mansoni infection. There was a correlation between the increment of free radical levels and the inhibition of different types of ATPase activity of S. mansoni-infected mice. In addition, this study also provided a new possible mechanism of liver damage caused by schistosome through induction of free radical levels. The results demonstrated that the activity of ATPase decreased and the level of free radicals [TBARS] increased at all levels of S. mansoni infection. The deleterious effect of free radicals on the liver and other possible organs could be increased, especially at higher intensity of S. mansoni infection. These alterations might be one of the factors associated with the etiology of liver damage, which are commonly encountered in schistosomal patients