Levamisole, the story and the lessons

Amery, Willem K.; Bruynseels, J.

doi:10.1016/0192-0561(92)90179-o

Cited by 74 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Levamisole, the levo enantiomer of tetramisole, was originally developed as an antihelminthic agent [4]. Levamisole is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration as adjuvant chemotherapy, with 5-fluorouricil, for the treatment of colon cancer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Between 0.4% and 20% of patients treated with levamisole form isoimmune antibodies to antigens on their neutrophil cell walls, leading to neutrophil destruction [4,8]. Agranulocytosis, a profound depletion of circulating neutrophils, is a rare but life-threatening condition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because it has immunostimulant and immunomodulatory properties, levamisole has also been used for treatment of various autoimmune disorders (rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and nephrotic syndrome) and cancers (breast and lung). Although levamisole is no longer widely utilized in humans, it is a common veterinary pharmaceutical used to treat worm infestations in sheep, cattle, and pigs [4]. Levamisole can be readily purchased worldwide as oral tablets, pastes, gels, soluble powder, feed premixes, topical solutions, and injectable solutions [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Confirmed Case of Agranulocytosis after Use of Cocaine Contaminated with Levamisole

et al. 2010

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Confirmed Case of Agranulocytosis after Use of Cocaine Contaminated with Levamisole

et al. 2010

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“…It was initially prepared as tetramisole, a racemic mixture of levamisole and dexamisole, however it was later discovered that the levo isomer, levamisole, was the active molecule [ 2 ]. In subsequent years, levamisole was also recognized for its immunomodulatory properties and as such, was used in the treatment of inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and nephrotic syndrome.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioanalytical methods for quantitation of levamisole, a widespread cocaine adulterant

Shea

2012

Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)

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Levamisole is an anthelminthic that was first used as a de-worming agent in humans and animals. It has also been used to treat inflammatory conditions as well as certain types of cancer. Levamisole was discontinued for human use in the early 21st century due to toxic side effects including agranulocytosis and vasculitis. Recently, levamisole was discovered as a cocaine adulterant after reports emerged of drug users with the above disorders. As the prevalence of cocaine usage has grown in the last 15 years, measurement of levamisole in human samples has become increasingly important. This review focuses on the various bioanalytical methods available for the determination of levamisole in human plasma and urine. Earlier methods employed gas chromatography coupled with nitrogen-selective thermionic specific detection and nitrogen-phosphorus detection, as well as high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection. In addition, gas chromatographymass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) have also been described. Currently, GC-MS appears to be the method of choice however recent developments in the area of LC-MS/MS make this technology an attractive alternative. The merits of both GC-MS and LC-MS/ MS for the determination of levamisole are evaluated on the basis of sample preparation, chromatographic separation conditions, run time, and analytical performance. In addition, emerging methods in this area are also reviewed.

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“…Levamisole is an effective immunomodulating agent that can restore the normal phagocytic activity of macrophages and neutrophils, it modulates T-cell mediated immunity and it potentiates the activity of human interferon [17][18][19][20][21] . It is used to treat several malignancies and autoimmune diseases (for example, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus), vitiligo and viral warts [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%