Stibophen is an

anthelmintic Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host. They may ...

originally developed by Bayer that is used as a treatment for schistosomiasis by intramuscular injection. It is classified as a trivalent

antimony Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb (from la, stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb2S3). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient t ...

compound. Brand names include Fouadin/Fuadin (named in honor of

Fuad I Fuad I ( ar, فؤاد الأول ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; tr, I. Fuad or ; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sulta ...

of Egypt, who had enthusiastically supported its research and development).

Mechanism of action

Stibophen inhibits the enzyme

phosphofructokinase Phosphofructokinase (PFK) is a kinase enzyme that phosphorylates fructose 6-phosphate in glycolysis. Function The enzyme-catalysed transfer of a phosphoryl group from ATP is an important reaction in a wide variety of biological processes. ...

, which the worms need for glycolysis, at least partly by binding to the sulfhydryl (–SH) group of the enzyme. Inhibiting glycolysis paralyzes the worms, which lose their hold on the wall of mesenteric veins and undergo hepatic shift, die, and are

phagocytose Phagocytosis () is the process by which a cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle (≥ 0.5 μm), giving rise to an internal compartment called the phagosome. It is one type of endocytosis. A cell that performs phagocytosis is ...

d by liver cells.

References

Antiparasitic agents Sulfonates Antimony(III) compounds {{antiinfective-drug-stub