BACKGROUND Intestinal parasitic nematodes such as hookworms, Ascaris lumbricoides, and Trichuris trichiura are amongst most prevalent tropical parasites in the world today. Although these parasites cause a tremendous disease burden, we have very few anthelmintic drugs with which to treat them. In the past three decades only one new anthelmintic, tribendimidine, has been developed and taken into...

1. Khan TA, Cuchacovich R, Espinoza LR, Lata S, Patel NJ, García-Valladares I, et al. Vasculopathy, hematological, and immune abnormalities associated with levamisole-contaminated cocaine use. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2011;41:445–54. 2. Espinoza LR, Pérez Alamino R. Cocaine-induced vasculitis: Clinical and immunological spectrum. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2012;14:532–8. 3. Gross RL, Brucker J, Bahce-Al...

While there is some evidence that changes in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits confer resistance to levamisole in gastrointestinal helminth parasites, the exact nature of the resistance mechanism(s) is unclear. We utilised the presence of a resistant fraction within the Wallangra 2003 isolate of Haemonchus contortus larvae in order to subdivide the population into three subpopul...

Background and aim: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a common disease in the world and is an endemic disease in Iran. Highly variable results of systemic treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis with levamisole have been reported in literature so far. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of levamisole as an adjuvant therapy with intralesional Glucantime.<br...

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) of parasitic nematodes are required for body movement and are targets of important "classical" anthelmintics like levamisole and pyrantel, as well as "novel" anthelmintics like tribendimidine and derquantel. Four biophysical subtypes of nAChR have been observed electrophysiologically in body muscle of the nematode parasite Oesophagostomum dentatum, but...

Inhibition of angiogenesis is a promising addition to current cancer treatment strategies. Neutralization of vascular endothelial growth factor by monoclonal antibodies is clinically effective but may cause side effects due to thrombosis. Low molecular weight angiogenesis inhibitors are currently less effective than antibody treatment and are also associated with serious side effects. The disco...

INTRODUCTION Afebrile neutropenia with an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of zero in a nonimmunocompromised individual is unusual. Outlined is a case of agranulocytosis likely due to levamisole laced cocaine. Given recent publications in the news media and medical journals, this is a pertinent issue for primary care providers. CASE A 57-year-old female presented with painful bowel movements a...

Purified alkaline phosphatase and plasma membranes from human liver were shown to dephosphorylate phosphohistones and plasma membrane phosphoproteins. The protein phosphatase activity of the liver plasma membranes was inhibited by levamisole, a specific inhibitor of alkaline phosphatase, and by phenyl phosphonate and orthovanadate, but was relatively insensitive to fluoride (50 mM). Endogenous ...

The study was conducted to evaluate immunomodulatory property of hot aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Moringa oleifera in albino rats. This study comprised of six groups containing six rats in each group. Group I served as control, received standard feed and water. Group II and IV received hot aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera @ 400 mg/kg b.wt, orally for 45 days. Group III and V received et...

AIM Gastrointestinal helminthosis is a global problem in small ruminant production. Most parasites have developed resistance to commonly available anthelminthic compounds, and there is currently an increasing need for new compounds with more efficacies. This study evaluated the in vitro effects of ethanolic extract of Curcuma longa (EECL) as a biological nematicide against third stage Haemonchu...