THE COMBINATION BETWEEN A STANDARDIZED EXTRACT OF BRAZILIAN RED PROPOLIS WITH PRAZIQUANTEL AGAINST Schistosoma mansoni IN VITRO

Introdution: Although praziquantel (PZQ) is being used for treatment of schistosomiasis, the description of regions which harbor Schistosoma strains that are less sensitive to PZQ underscores the need to identify new alternative to treat this disease. Combination therapy has become a promising strategy for several complex diseases which it can increase therapeutic efficacy, reduce toxicity and overcome drug resistance compared with single-drug administrations. Thus, as part of our contribution to developing the strategies for treatment against schistosomiasis, we evaluate the combination of PZQ with a standardized extract of Brazilian red propolis (SEBRP), a resinous bee product that presents several biological effects, on S. mansoni adult worms in vitro. Methods: Adult worms were obtained by perfusion and cultivated in RPMI 1640 medium. Dose– response relationships were established following exposure of adult S. mansoni to SEBRP, PZQ and fixed concentration combinations of SEBRP/PZQ in vitro after 24, 48 and 72 hours. Results: PZQ and SEBRP shows an effective concentration of 50% of 0.045µg/mL and 6.14µg/mL at 72 hours, respectively. PZQ/SEBRP combination showed synergistic effects against adult worms after 72 hours of incubation, with combination index (CI) values lower than 1.0 when adult S. mansoni were simultaneously incubated with both drugs in vitro. Conclusion: Based on these data, it was possible to observe that SEBRP plays an important schistosomicidal action in adult worms. In addition, combination of PZQ/SEBRP may be a promising strategy to treatment for schistosomiasis.