[Effect of combined pentoxifylline and albendazole against echinococcus multilocularis infection in mice].

Objective: To observe the effect of pentoxifylline (PTX), albendazole (ABZ), and a combination of PTX and ABZ in mice infected with Echinococcus multilocularis (E.M).
Methods: The first part of the experiment was to observe the in vitro effect of PTX on the cultured E.M protoscolex. In the second part, mice were infected by abdominal inoculation of E.M and divided into groups given by ABZ 50 mg/kg-d, PTX 360 mg/kg-d, PTX 180mg/kgxd, and a combined regimen ABZ 50 mg/(kgxd)+PTX 180 mg/(kgxd). Another infected group and a uninfected group served as controls which received normal saline only. 100 days post-treatment, the mice were sacrificed for further observation. Indicators included wet weight of the cyst, cyst inhibition rate, level of serum cytokines TGF-beta determined by ELISA, IL-2 and IL-10 determined by radio-immunoassay (RIA).
Results: The inhibition rate on cysts of the combined ABZ and PTX was 88%, considerably higher than 58 % of the group ABZ. The serum TGF-beta and IL-10 decreased and IL-2 increased after treatment in comparison to the controls.
Conclusion: The PTX and ABZ combination shows better effect on E.multilocularis infection than that of single ABZ. PTX might help increase immunity of the mice.