THE EFFECT OF LEVAMISOLE ON ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE SECRETION BY MALE AND FEMALE HELIGMOSOMOIDES-POLYGYRUS DURING AGING

The inhibition of acetylcholinesterase secretion by male and female Heligmosomoides polygyrus was tested on worms taken from experimentally infected mice and maintained for 3 days in vitro in levamisole. The dose inhibiting 50% of enzyme secretion (ID 50) of male worms was twice the ID 50 for female worms. A similar difference was observed in vivo between the dose of levamisole removing 50% (LD 50) of male and female worms from the mouse. Acetylcholinesterase secretion by worms and ID 50 were tested in vitro at 3-weekly intervals from 3 to 21 weeks post infection (WPI). Acetylcholinesterase secretion was always significantly higher for male than for female worms. A decrease of ID 50, correlated with the age of the worms was observed: from 1.5 to 0.5 mug/ml for males and from 0.7 to 0.1 mug/ml for females. These results were confirmed in vivo by a higher efficacy of the anthelminthic at 21 than at 4 WPI.