Indirect Anthelmintic Action of Carbon Tetrachloride against Fasciola hepatica

ACTIONS OF CARBON TETRACHLORIDE, HEXACHLOROETHANE AND THE PRODUCTS OF THEIR METABOLISM IN SHEEP ON Fasciola hepatica

“…The concentration of carbon tetrachloride in portal blood does not seem to have been estimated, but it is likely to be higher than that in the jugular vein. Kondos & McClymont (1965) found peak concentrations of 36 and 65 gg carbon tetrachloride per ml of sheep bile following oral administration of 2 and 4 ml of the drug, respectively, and Fowler (1970) detected 4-5 jig/ml after giving 3 ml ofthe drug.…”

“…The mode of the fasciolifugal action of carbon tetrachloride is unknown, and may be an indirect effect mediated by metabolic products of the drug or materials produced by the liver when it is affected by the drug (Alexander & MacDonald, 1960;Kondos & McClymont, 1965;Khalidi & Zaki, 1969). In sheep considerable amounts of carbon tetrachloride are metabolized to chloroform, and the main products in the metabolism of hexachloroethane, another fasciolifuge, are pentachloroethane and tetrachloroethylene (Fowler, 1969;1970).…”

Carbon tetrachloride metabolism in sheep and in Fasciola hepatica

“…Carbon tetrachloride is toxic to flukes in the presence of liver slices (Kondos & McClymont, 1965) and it has now been established that the drug is present in bile for at least 6 h following dosage. It seems likely, therefore, that adult liver flukes have direct access to carbon tetrachloride, although in much lower concentrations than those reported active in vitro.…”