Trichinellosis in mice: effect of albendazole on the glutathione transferase in the intestines.

The glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are a family of multifunctional enzymes involved in cellular detoxification. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of albendazole--drug of choice for trichinellosis--on the total activity and kinetics of cytosolic GST in the mouse intestines during experimental trichinellosis. Our results showed a statistically significant decrease in the total GST activity both in the small and large intestines of the mice infected with the nematode Trichinella spiralis (Owen, 1835) and treated with albendazole, compared with the control mice that were infected but untreated with the drug. Furthermore, albendazole administration modified the kinetics of substrate saturation of GST in the intestines of the infected mice because the drug caused changes in Michaelis constant values of this enzyme. Based on our observations, we suggest that the quaternary structure of GST from the mouse intestines is impacted by this drug during trichinellosis.