The use of LC/MS for the Study of Biotransformation of Xenobiotics in Helminths

Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Biochemical Sciences Candidate Mgr. Ivan Vokřál Supervisor Doc. Ing. Barbora Szotáková, Ph.D. Title of Doctoral Thesis The use of LC/MS for the study of biotransformation of xenobiotics in helminths Annually, parasites cause many losses regarding not only human lives but also the livestock. One of the most effective weapons that can be used against them are anthelmintics. However, in many cases anthelmintics cease to work and resistance development occurs. One of the possible mechanisms of resistance is the biotransformation of the drug to ineffective or less active products by the parasite. The aim of this work was to bring new knowledge about the biotransformation of drugs in helminths. Emphasis was given to the relationship between biotransformation and the resistance of parasites against anthelmintic drugs. A possible technique to achieve this goal is to study directly the products of biotransformation, i.e. metabolites. As this issue is nowadays most frequently solved by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, we used this technique to meet our goals. Biotransformation was studied in representatives of tapeworms, flukes and roundworms. Where possible, economically important representatives as Barber's pole..