To observe the therapeutic efficacy of albendazole chitosan microsphere (ABZ- CS- MPs)in mice infected with echinococcus multilocularis(E.m).

To establish secondary intraperitoneal infections of E.m in mice model, the 80 mice infected echinococcus multilocularis for 12 weeks were randomly divided into four groups: ABZ- CS- MPs group, albendazole oral emulsion(ABZ- E)group,albendazole tablet(ABZ- T)group and model control group,above 3 experimental groups were oral administrated with 75 mg/kg dosage; model control group were administrated with 0.2 ml saline per mouse dosage; All groups were administered with 3 times a week medication for 10 weeks. Following investigating markers were monitored after overall administration:(1)observation of morphological changes;(2) Calculation of mean cyst weight and inhibition rate after treatment;(3)observation of Histopathological changes of the E.m vesicles; 4)Measurement of the concentrations of albendazole sulfoxide(ABZ- SX)in plasma and liver homogenates by high- performance liquid chromatography(HPLC).

There were obvious collapse and calcification of E.m vesicles in ABZ- CS- MPs group, mean cyst weights of E.m tissues in each groups treated with ABZ were[(0.114±0.030),(0.247±0.086),(0.582±0.145)g], there were significant differences of mean cyst weights between ABZ treated groups and model control group(P< 0.05), ABZ- CS- MPs had a higher suppressive effect on vesicular development than those ABZE treated group and ABZ- T treated group, inhibition rate of E.m vesicles in those 3 groups were: 91.04%, 80.60%, 54.28% respectively. Hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining showed that there was different level of degeneration, necrosis on experimental groups, compared with other groups, germinal layer and laminate layer have severest damages in ABZ- CS- MPs treated group.Concentration of ABZ- SX in plasma and liver are much higher than ABZ- T group(P<0.01).

It is concluded that ABZ- CS- MPs had higher inhibitory effect against mice infected with alveolar echinococcosis, it promoted the intestinal absorption of ABZ effectively and further increased the drug concentration in plasma and liver.

Alveolar echinococcosis; Chitosan microsphere; Albendazole; Mice