Transcriptomics of the racematic Praziquantel: R-PZQ versus S-PZQ in male Schistosoma mansoni

Schistosomiasis affects over 250 million people worldwide and is caused by trematodes of the genus Schistosoma including the species Schistosoma mansoni. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the most widely available and implemented drug for this disease, and is produced as an racematic mixture composed of the enantiomers, R-PZQ and S-PZQ. In this study we examined the gene expression profiles of 49 day male S. mansoni after 18 hour treatment with R-PZQ, S-PZQ or control (1% DMSO). These results provide insight into the effect of PZQ enantiomers against male S. mansoni. Overall design: Examination of the enantiomers of praziquantel, R-PZQ and S-PZQ, in 49 day old male Schistosoma mansoni, in quadruplicate, using Illumina NextSeq 500.