Comparative effect of tiaprofenic acid and piroxicam alone and as adjuvants to antibilharzial therapy on pulmonary granuloma in unsensitized mice

Abstract

Granulomata formed in the liver or lung of man and animals infected with schistosomiasis are common manifestation of an inflammatory delayed hypersensitivity reaction. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (tiaprofenic acid and piroxicam) have been used alone and as adjuvants to praziquantel in treating pulmonary granulomata induced in mice by injecting them intravenously with S. mansoni eggs. The size of the granulomata, as well as some immunological parameters, have been measured at the end of treatment. Both anti-inflammatory drugs effectively reduced the size of lung granulomata in a dose-dependent manner. The immediate skin reaction and, to a lesser extent, the delayed reaction were reduced by these drugs. Tiaprofenic acid, but not piroxicam, reduced the percent macrophage migration inhibition in vitro. The combined therapy of either of the drugs with praziquantel did not result in an additive effect.