role of early treatment with cyclooxygenase inhibitors and praziquantel on bilharzial hepatic collagenosis in mice

ABSTRACT

In this work, the effect of praziquantel [PZ and acetyl salicylic acid [ASA]-a cyclooxygenase inhibitor had been tried individually and combined to study their effects on both serum and liver hydroxyproline [HP] as an indicator of liver fibrosis in bilharzial mice. PZ given early in the sixth week post infection, in two doses two weeks apart was found to reduce significantly both serum and liver HP. Histopathological changes of the liver indicted no fibrosis in the portal tracts with a strong immune reaction in the form of granulomas and kupffer cells as well as secondary follicles in the spleen. ASA in two different timing schedules [on early; third week post infection and another late; sixth week post infection] in three doses/week for two weeks, reduced significantly both serum and liver HP with more pronounced effects with the late course of ASA. This effect of ASA is possibly by its prostaglandin synthesis blocking effect. Histopathological changes with ASA showed mostly the hepatotoxic effect of salicylates with minimal fibrosis in the portal tract. When PZ was combined with ASA, and both were given on the sixth week post infection, the most significant reduction of both serum and liver HP was produced and the histopathological changes coincided properly with the biochemical changes, where the number and size of granulomas were the least, with minimal damaging effect on hepatocytes