Repeated exposure to opisthorchis viverrini and treatment with the antihelminthic praziquantel lacks carcinogenic potential

Abstract

The effects of repeated Praziquantel administration, subsequent to infection and reinfection w Opisthorchis viverrini (OV), on lesion development in the Syrian hamster liver were investigated. Five applications of the antihelminthic drag were made (300 mg/kg body wt, i.g.), each time ∼5 weeks after dosing with 60-80 OV metacercarine at weeks 0, 8, 16, 24 and 32. The animals were then maintained until week 40 when they were killed; histopathological investigation revealed no significant development of either hepatocellular of cholangiocellular preneoplastic/neoplastic lesions. The results indicate that repeated exposure to Praziquantel at levels sufficient for successful removal of parasite infestation does not itself carry carcinogenic risk. © 1992 Oxford University Press.