• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.85-90
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• 1998

The effects of methanol extracts of plant molluscicide, Brassaia actinophylla (Araliaceae) had been assessed on development of eggs f snails, Biomphalaria glabrata and Indoplanorbis exustus at sublethal concentrations. Results revealed that the administration of 10mg/l of B. actionophylla caused some alterations in embryos of both species. Niclosamide (0.004 mg/l) also arrested the development of embryos in B. glabrata ans I. exustus. It can be concluded that B. actinophylla has a potential use as an avicidal agent in the control of the snail intermediate hosts of schistosomiasis.

• The Korean Journal of Malacology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.57-61
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• 2001

The present study examines the potential involvement of Biomphalaria glabrata, a known molluscan intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni, in the life cycle of Echinostoma cinetorchis, one of the echinostomes that are ubiquitous parasites of vertebrates and are of importance in human and veterinary medicine and wildlife diseases. Echinostomes can be maintained easily and inexpensively in the laboratory and provide good models for biological research ranging from the molecular to the organismal. In the present study, no echinostome cercariae were released from the B. glabrata experimentally infected with E. cinetorchis miracidia, whereas all the Biomphalaria snails infected with E. cinetorchis cercariae were found to be infected with the metacercariae. This is the first report that B. glabrata can experimentally serve as the second intermediate host of E. cinetorchis, and that it might be employed as one of the target molluscs for establishing a biological research model with E. cinetorchis in the laboratory.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.358-366
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• 2003

Some N-p-substituted phenyl uracil-5-sulphonamide derivatives have been synthesized to be evaluated as molluscicides against Biomphalaria alexandrina snails, the intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni. Schistosoma mansoni infected mice were treated with hemolymph obtained from pre-treated Biomphalaria alexandrina snails with the products 4a, 10a, 10b and 4b or obtained from non-treated snails. The selection of the concentration based on the predetermined dose which caused mortality of less than 50% of snails/24 h. $LC_{50}$ of compounds 4a, 10a, 10b and 4b was 50, 100, 200 and 50 ppm respectively. The result showed that immuno-stimulatory effect of treated hemolymph with compounds 4a, 10a and 4b was related to significant protective effects (44.4, 34.6 and 50.4% reduction in worm burden respectively). In addition, mean total worm burdens were significantly reduced in non treated hemolymph by 33.8%. The effect of hemolymph obtained from treated or non treated snails on S. mansoni adult worms antigens was studied by indirect immunofluorescence technique using chronic mouse sera (CMS). The results indicated that there was a strong reaction with epitopes in gut epithelium, tubercles, teigument and subtegumental musculature of untreated and treated S. mansoni adult worms antigens. Therefore, treatment of hemolymph obtained from pre-treated snails with compounds 4a, 10a, and 4b can stimulate specific immune response and induce protective effects against S. mansoni infection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.449-451
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• 2014

The karyotypes of Biomphalaria tenagophila collected from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil were studied using the air-drying method. Somatic cells of this species had 2n=36. The 18 chromosome pairs were identified and classified into 3 groups. The diploid cell has 7 pairs of metacentric, 8 pairs of submetacentric, and 3 pairs of subtelocentric chromosomes. Observed chromosomes ranged from 2.4 to $6.4{\mu}m$, and the total length was $122.3{\mu}m$. This is the first report on the chromosome of B. tenagophila.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Fisheries Technology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.629-630
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Malacological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.15-16
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• 2002

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2010

Biomphalaria alexandrina snails play an indispensable role in transmission of schistosomiasis. Infection rates in field populations of snails are routinely determined by cercarial shedding neglecting prepatent snail infections, because of lack of a suitable method for diagnosis. The present study aimed at separation and quantification of oxalic, malic, acetic, pyruvic, and fumaric acids using ion-suppression reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to test the potentiality of these acids to be used as diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers. The assay was done in both hemolymph and digestive gland-gonad complex (DGG) samples in a total of 300 B. alexandrina snails. All of the studied acids in both the hemolymph and tissue samples except for the fumaric acid in hemolymph appeared to be good diagnostic biomarkers as they provide not only a good discrimination between the infected snails from the control but also between the studied stages of infection from each other. The most sensitive discriminating acid was malic acid in hemolymph samples as it showed the highest F-ratio. Using the Z-score, malic acid was found to be a good potential therapeutic biomarker in the prepatency stage, oxalic acid and acetic acid in the stage of patency, and malic acid and acetic acid at 2 weeks after patency. Quantification of carboxylic acids, using HPLC strategy, was fast, easy, and accurate in prediction of infected and uninfected snails and possibly to detect the stage of infection. It seems also useful for detection of the most suitable acids to be used as drug targets.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.119-126
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• 2012

Carboxylic acids play an important role in both aerobic and anaerobic metabolic pathways of both the snail and the parasite. Monitoring the effects of infection by schistosome on Biomphalaria alexandrina carboxylic acids metabolic profiles represents a promising additional source of information about the state of metabolic system. We separated and quantified pyruvic, fumaric, malic, oxalic, and acetic acids using ion-suppression reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to detect correlations between these acids in both hemolymph and digestive gland gonad complex (DGG's) samples in a total of 300 B. alexandrina snails (150 infected and 150 controls) at different stages of infection. The results showed that the majority of metabolite pairs did not show significant correlations. However, some high correlations were found between the studied acids within the control group but not in other groups. More striking was the existence of reversed correlations between the same acids at different stages of infection. Some possible explanations of the underlying mechanisms were discussed. Ultimately, however, further data are required for resolving the responsible regulatory events. These findings highlight the potential of metabolomics as a novel approach for fundamental investigations of host-pathogen interactions as well as disease surveillance and control.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.128-138
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• 2000

In continuation of the previous work (Fathalla, 1992) on the synthesis of some heterocycles containing uracil moiety, we report herein the incorporation of uracil moiety into cyan-opyridine thione, thiosemecarbazone, semicarbazone, cyanopyridine, ami nocyano pyridine, isoxazoline, pyrazoline, pyrimidine, triazolo pyrimidine, pyran, selena and thiazole derivatives which might modify their biological activities. The biological studies revealed that the chemical compound III f showed high molluscicdal activity than other compounds. The profile of the nucleoprotein extracted from chemically (compound IIIc, e, f and g) treated or UV-irradiated B.alexandrina snails did not show appreciable differences when compared to non-treated (native) snails by using SDS-PAGE, where no obvious qualitative or quantitative differences were observed. Immunization of experimental animals with the nucleoprotein extracted from native, chemically (compound III f ＆ g) treated or physically treated B.alexandrina snails induced significant protection against challenge with normal S.mansoni cercariae, as compared to the non-immunized challenged control. As well as , a decrease in the number of granuloma formation and the size range of granuloma was also observed in immunized animals. It is concluded that, compounds III f and g have a potent molluscicidal activity. They also induced chemical modification comparable to that induced by physical treatment in the snail's nucleoprotein, which could possibly be used in immunization against S. mansoni infection.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.81-86
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• 1991

Dry powder and different extracts of Agave lophantha were tested against Biomphalaria alexandrina. The results showed that the butanol extract has high molluscicidal activity. The activity of the dry powder has been found to be stable under the effect of some simulated field conditions. Also the toxicological effect of the plant on mice was tested through determination of certain parameters such as total protein, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase enzymes as well as histopathological study on liver and kidney.