RESUMO
Arylsulfatase B (ASB) hydrolyzes the desulfation of N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfate at the non-reducing terminal of glycosaminoglycans. This enzyme activity was found to be elevated in mice schistosomiasis. In the present study, the catalytic and immunological properties of purified ASB from the liver of Schistosoma-infected mouse was investigated in the presence and absence of the schistosomicidal drugs praziquantel and Commiphora extract. The in vitro effect of praziquantel was found to be inhibitory with a Ki value of 5.5 x 10(-4) M while that of commiphora extract was as an activator. Furthermore, these drugs did not have an observed effect on the immunological properties of ASB with regard to its binding to its polyclonal rabbit antibody. These results indicate that some schistosomicidal drugs may reverse the alteration of the catalytic properties of the enzyme in schistosomiasis.