A simple method for the identification of compounds which inhibit tubulin polymerization in filarial worms

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Abstract
The incubation in vitro of excised ovaries of Dirofilaria immits in medium containing mebendazole between 10−5 and 10−8 M for four or six hours results in the accumulation of up to 20% of oogonial cells in arrested mitotic metaphase. In aceto-orcein-stained squashes of the tissue, cells possess condensed chromosomes but no detectable spindle microtubules. Similar results were obtained with colchicine, but the lowest effective concentration of this drug was 10−7M. This procedure affords a simple and rapid method for detecting compounds capable of inhibiting tubulin polymerization in filarial worms.