Vanadium complexes have also shown encouraging results on the in vitro antiamoebic activity. Amoebiasis is the infection of the human gastrointestinal tract by Entamoeba histolytica, a protozoan parasite that is capable of invading the intestinal mucosa and can infect almost every organ of the body. The most frequent form of extra intestinal amoebiasis is the amoebic liver abscess. Being responsible for approximately 100,000 deaths annually, placing it a second only to malaria in mortality due to protozoan parasite [50, 51]. Metronidazole (MNZ, 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole) is the most effective antiamoebic medication [52]. This, however, induces certain tumors in rodents and is mutagenic towards bacteria [53].
The ideal treatment for amoebiasis does not yet exist, mainly due to the toxicity of current antiamoebic drugs [54]. In vitro tests of the antiamoebic activity of dioxovanadium(V) complexes [K(H2O)n[VO2(X-sal-sbdt)] ( n = 2 or 3, H2X-sal-sbdt = Schiff base derived from salicylaldehyde and S-benzyldithiocarbazate, X = H, 5-Cl, 5-Br) against Entamoeba histolytica, show comparable (when X = H and 5-Cl) or substantially better (when X = 5-Br) amoebocidal action than metronidazole [55].
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