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Santos ALED, Souza ROS, Barbosa FEV, Santos MHCD, Grangeiro YA, Martins AMC, Santos-Gomes G, Fonseca IPD, Silva CGLD, Teixeira CS. Concanavalin A, lectin from Canavalia ensiformis seeds has Leishmania infantum antipromastigote activity mediated by carbohydrate recognition domain. Chem Biol Interact 2024; 399:111156. [PMID: 39029856 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2024.111156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Revised: 07/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
Leishmaniases, caused by Leishmania parasites, are widespread and pose significant health risks globally. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is particularly prevalent in Brazil, with high morbidity and mortality rates. Traditional treatments, such as pentavalent antimonials, have limitations due to toxicity and resistance. Therefore, exploring new compounds like lectins is crucial. Concanavalin A (ConA) has shown promise in inhibiting Leishmania growth. This study aimed to evaluate its leishmanicidal effect on L. infantum promastigotes and understand its mechanism of action. In vitro tests demonstrated inhibition of promastigote growth when treated with ConA, with IC50 values ranging from 3 to 5 μM over 24-72 h. This study suggests that ConA interacts with L. infantum glycans. Additionally, ConA caused damage to the membrane integrity of parasites and induced ROS production, contributing to parasite death. Scanning electron microscopy confirmed morphological alterations in treated promastigotes. ConA combined with the amphotericin B (AmB) showed synergistic effects, reducing the required dose of AmB, and potentially mitigating its toxicity. ConA demonstrated no cytotoxic effects on macrophages, instead stimulating their proliferation. These findings reinforce that lectin exhibits promising leishmanicidal activity against L. infantum promastigotes, making ConA a potential candidate for leishmaniasis treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Alice Maria Costa Martins
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas e toxicológicas, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Santos-Gomes
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Isabel Pereira da Fonseca
- CIISA, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Av. Universidade Técnica, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal; Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Portugal
| | | | - Claudener Souza Teixeira
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Cariri, Barbalha, CE, Brazil; Centro de Ciências Agrárias e da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal do Cariri, Crato, CE, Brazil.
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Madusanka RK, Silva H, Karunaweera ND. Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis and Insights into Species-Specific Responses: A Narrative Review. Infect Dis Ther 2022; 11:695-711. [PMID: 35192172 PMCID: PMC8960542 DOI: 10.1007/s40121-022-00602-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a complex skin infection that has imposed a heavy burden on many developing countries and is caused by more than 20 Leishmania species. This disease is predominantly associated with disfiguring scars and major social stigma upon infection. The severity of the disease seemingly depends on many factors including the species of parasite, the host, region of endemicity, socio-economic status and the accessibility to health facilities. Despite myriad studies that have been performed on current and novel therapies, the treatment outcomes of CL remain contentious, possibly because of the knowledge gaps that still exist. The differential responses to the current CL therapies have become a major drawback in disease control, and the dearth of information on critical analyses of outcomes of such studies is a hindrance to the overall understanding. On the basis of currently available literature on treatment outcomes, we discuss the most effective doses, drug susceptibilities/resistance and treatment failures of the Leishmania genus for both monotherapy and combination therapy. This review focuses on the available treatment modalities for CL caused by different Leishmania species, with insights into their species-specific efficacies, which would inform the selection of appropriate drugs for the treatment and control of leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hermali Silva
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka
| | - Nadira D Karunaweera
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, No. 25, Kynsey Road, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka.
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Gupta AK, Roy S, Das PK. Antileishmanial effect of the natural immunomodulator genipin through suppression of host negative regulatory protein UCP2. J Antimicrob Chemother 2021; 76:135-145. [PMID: 32995849 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkaa406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the antileishmanial efficacy of genipin, which specifically inhibits uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) that is induced in leishmaniasis to neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS). METHODS The effect of genipin was assessed against intracellular parasites in cultured macrophages and in suppressing spleen and liver parasite burdens in a BALB/c mouse model of visceral leishmaniasis by microscopic evaluation of intracellular amastigotes stained with Giemsa. ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential were measured by H2DCFDA- and JC-1-based fluorometric analysis. ELISA was performed for various Th1 and Th2 cytokines in both in vitro and in vivo infected conditions to evaluate the type of immunological responses. The role of UCP2 was assessed by lipofectamine-mediated transfection and overexpression in macrophages and short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of UCP2 in infected animals. RESULTS Genipin reduced the infection-induced UCP2 levels in macrophages, with optimum effect at 100 μM. Genipin reversed parasite-induced ROS suppression and mitochondrial membrane potential disruption. It has no inhibitory effect on promastigote or axenic amastigote forms, but markedly suppressed amastigote multiplication within macrophages, which was reversed by the ROS scavenger N-acetyl cysteine. Genipin administration (30 mg/kg/day) in infected mice showed significant suppression of liver and spleen parasite burdens with an enhanced host-favourable cytokine balance in a ROS-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent manner. Co-treatment with genipin plus a sublethal dose of sodium antimony gluconate (SAG50) showed almost a curative reduction in spleen and liver parasite burden. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest the effectiveness of genipin as a synergistic agent for the front-line antileishmanial drug SAG in circumventing the resistance and toxicity problems associated with its high curative dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anand Kumar Gupta
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Shalini Roy
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Pijush K Das
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata 700032, India
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Patiño-Márquez IA, Patiño-González E, Hernández-Villa L, Ortíz-Reyes B, Manrique-Moreno M. Identification and evaluation of Galleria mellonella peptides with antileishmanial activity. Anal Biochem 2018; 546:35-42. [PMID: 29409865 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2018.01.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Revised: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease, World Health Organization (WHO) declared it as high priority worldwide. Colombia is one of the 98 countries in which the disease caused more than 17.000 cases per year. There is a need to explore novel therapies to reduce the side effects of the current treatments. For this reason, this study was aimed to evaluate Galleria mellonella hemolymph for potential peptides with anti-parasitic activity. Larvae were challenged with Leishmania (V) panamensis promastigotes and hemolymph was analyzed using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), reversed-phase chromatography (RP-HPLC), two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC/MS). The immunological response of Galleria mellonella was followed by SDS-PAGE, immunized hemolymph was fractionated by RP-HPLC where fractions 5 and 11 showed the highest antileishmanial activity. From these fractions 15 spots were isolated by 2D gel electrophoresis and evaluated by LC/MS to identify the peptides present in the spots. After the analysis Moricin-B, Moricin-C4, Cecropin-D and Anionic Peptide 2 were identified due to the immune challenge with Leishmania promastigotes. Anionic peptide 2 and Cecropin-D were synthesized and evaluated for antileishmanial activity. The results showed that Anionic peptide 2 presented more anti-parasitic activity. This study showed for the first time the anti-parasitic potential of peptides derived from hemolymph of Galleria mellonella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel A Patiño-Márquez
- Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Antioquia, A.A. 1226, Medellin, Colombia
| | - Edwin Patiño-González
- Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Antioquia, A.A. 1226, Medellin, Colombia
| | - Laura Hernández-Villa
- Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Antioquia, A.A. 1226, Medellin, Colombia
| | - Blanca Ortíz-Reyes
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Antioquia, A.A. 1226, Medellin, Colombia
| | - Marcela Manrique-Moreno
- Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, University of Antioquia, A.A. 1226, Medellin, Colombia.
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Valente M, Marroni M, Sfara C, Francisci D, Malincarne L, Gubbiotti G, Cozzari M, Tordini G, Stagni G. Liposomal Amphotericin B for Visceral Leishmaniasis in a Kidney Allograft Patient. J Pharm Technol 2017. [DOI: 10.1177/875512250201800404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To report a case of visceral leishmaniasis treated with liposomal amphotericin B (LAB) after probable failure with amphotericin B lipid complex (ABLC). Case Summary A 62-year-old white renal transplant recipient was admitted for pyrexia, hepato-splenomegaly, and pancytopenia. Leishmania amastigotes were detected from bone marrow aspirate and in circulating blood monocytes and neutrophils. The patient, who weighed 56 kg, received ABLC at a starting dose of 200 mg/d (3.6 mg/kg of body weight per day) for 13 days, achieving a total dose of 2,600 mg (46 mg/kg) without clinical improvement. The patient was switched to 100 mg/d (1.8 mg/kg) of LAB for 10 days, after which a dose of 250 mg (4.5 mg/kg) was repeated on days 17,24,31, and 38. Twenty-four hours after the first dose of LAB, the patient showed an excellent clinical response. On the following days, there was a progressive increase in hemoglobin concentration and leukocyte and platelet counts. Three months later, the patient was asymptomatic. Discussion Although treatment with ABLC appears to be effective for the treatment of Indian patients with visceral leishmaniasis, experience with immunocompromised patients is limited. This is the first case of a renal transplant recipient in which ABLC was used to treat visceral leishmaniasis without remarkable efficacy, but with infusion-related adverse effects perhaps due to the use of higher doses. Conclusions A randomized comparative trial is needed to compare LAB with ABLC in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in patients who have received kidney allografts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Valente
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Science, Section of Infectious Diseases, Perugia University, Perugia, Italy
| | - Massimo Marroni
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Science, Section of Infectious Diseases, Perugia University, Perugia, Italy
| | - Claudio Sfara
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Science, Section of Infectious Diseases, Perugia University, Perugia, Italy
| | - Daniela Francisci
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Science, Section of Infectious Diseases, Perugia University, Perugia, Italy
| | - Lisa Malincarne
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Science, Section of Infectious Diseases, Perugia University, Perugia, Italy
| | | | - Massimo Cozzari
- Operative Unit of Nephrology and Dialysis, Azienda Ospedaliera, Perugia
| | | | - Giuliano Stagni
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Biochemical Science, Section of Infectious Diseases, Perugia University, Perugia, Italy
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Potential Challenges of Controlling Leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka at a Disease Outbreak. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2017. [PMID: 28630867 PMCID: PMC5467302 DOI: 10.1155/2017/6931497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The present works reviewed the existing information on leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka and in other countries, focusing on challenges of controlling leishmaniasis in the country, in an outbreak. Evidence from recent studies suggests that there is a possibility of a leishmaniasis outbreak in Sri Lanka in the near future. Difficulty of early diagnosis due to lack of awareness and unavailability or inadequacy of sensitive tests are two of the main challenges for effective case management. Furthermore, the absence of a proper drug for treatment and lack of knowledge about vector biology, distribution, taxonomy and bionomics, and reservoir hosts make the problem serious. The evident potential for visceralization in the cutaneous variant of L. donovani in Sri Lanka may also complicate the issue. Lack of knowledge among local communities also reduces the effectiveness of vector and reservoir host control programs. Immediate actions need to be taken in order to increase scientific knowledge about the disease and a higher effectiveness of the patient management and control programs must be achieved through increased awareness about the disease among general public and active participation of local community in control activities.
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Qureshi NA, Ali A, Rashid U, Ali N. Prevalence of Leishmania tropica in school boys of khyber agency, FATA near Pak-Afghan border. Acta Trop 2016; 164:90-94. [PMID: 27593497 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.08.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2016] [Revised: 08/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In Pakistan leishmaniasis occurs periodically throughout the year and various out breaks are reported frequently. In continuation of our research on this neglected disease, the aim of present study is to explore: (1) the prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in school boys; (2) Leishmania species identification in order to epidemiology and dynamics of the disease; (3) Identification of risk factors for Leishmaniasis especially for CL. The data was collected in August 2014 The experimental strategy involved a questionnaire for data collection and along with clinical diagnosis of 134 out of 9368 students for incidence of Leishmania spp. in 7 square kilometres area in the schoolboys at Tehsil Landi Kotal, District Khyber Agency, FATA Pakistan. The parasitological and molecular diagnosis of clinically suspected cutaneous leishmaniasis cases were performed using microscopical examination of Giemsa-stained smears of lesion exudates and minicircle kDNA semi nested PCR, respectively. Microscopy (x=1000) positive cases were 84/134 (62.6%) and 50/134 (37.4%) slides did not showed any presence of amastigotes of Leishmania spp. The samples were amplified using kDNA semi nested PCR and confirmed the presence of L. Tropica (Ac.no KT 985473). PCR positive cases were 97/134 (72.4%) and 37(27.6%) were negative. The prevalence of L. tropica in school boys was 1.4% (134/9368) in the total population studied (n=9368). The parasite prevalence might be greater as only male students were considered in the study due to ethical and social issues and limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveeda Akhtar Qureshi
- Department of Animal Sciences, Parasitology Laboratory, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan.
| | - Abid Ali
- Department of Animal Sciences, Parasitology Laboratory, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
| | - Umer Rashid
- Department of Chemistry, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, 22060, Pakistan
| | - Naeem Ali
- Department of Microbiology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan
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Thakur CP, Sinha GP, Pandey AK, Kumar N, Kumar P, Hassan SM, Narain S, Roy RK. Do the diminishing efficacy and increasing toxicity of sodium stibogluconate in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in Bihar, India, justify its continued use as a first-line drug? An observational study of 80 cases. ANNALS OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND PARASITOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/00034983.1998.11813313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Sundar S, Gupta LB, Makharia MK, Singh MK, Voss A, Rosenkaimer F, Engel J, Murray HW. Oral treatment of visceral leishmaniasis with miltefosine. ANNALS OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND PARASITOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/00034983.1999.11813462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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10
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Khalil EAG, El Hassan AM, Zijlstra EE, Hashim FA, Ibrahim ME, Ghalib HW, Ali MS. Treatment of visceral leishmaniasis with sodium stibogluconate in Sudan: management of those who do not respond. ANNALS OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND PARASITOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/00034983.1998.11813274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Ali A, Ur Rehman T, Qureshi NA, Ur Rahman H. New endemic focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Pakistan and future epidemics threats. ASIAN PACIFIC JOURNAL OF TROPICAL DISEASE 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/s2222-1808(15)61003-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Advances in Development of New Treatment for Leishmaniasis. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:815023. [PMID: 26078965 PMCID: PMC4442256 DOI: 10.1155/2015/815023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Revised: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a neglected infectious disease caused by several different species of protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. Current strategies to control this disease are mainly based on chemotherapy. Despite being available for the last 70 years, leishmanial chemotherapy has lack of efficiency, since its route of administration is difficult and it can cause serious side effects, which results in the emergence of resistant cases. The medical-scientific community is facing difficulties to overcome these problems with new suitable and efficient drugs, as well as the identification of new drug targets. The availability of the complete genome sequence of Leishmania has given the scientific community the possibility of large-scale analysis, which may lead to better understanding of parasite biology and consequent identification of novel drug targets. In this review we focus on how high-throughput analysis is helping us and other groups to identify novel targets for chemotherapeutic interventions. We further discuss recent data produced by our group regarding the use of the high-throughput techniques and how this helped us to identify and assess the potential of new identified targets.
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Singh J, Srivastava A, Jha P, Sinha KK, Kundu B. l-Asparaginase as a new molecular target against leishmaniasis: insights into the mechanism of action and structure-based inhibitor design. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2015; 11:1887-96. [DOI: 10.1039/c5mb00251f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
l-Asparaginases belong to a family of amidohydrolases that catalyze the conversion of l-asparagine into l-aspartic acid and ammonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasdeep Singh
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- New Delhi-110016
- India
| | - Ankit Srivastava
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- New Delhi-110016
- India
| | - Pravin Jha
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research
- Vaishali-844102
- India
| | - Kislay K. Sinha
- National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research
- Vaishali-844102
- India
| | - Bishwajit Kundu
- Kusuma School of Biological Sciences
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- New Delhi-110016
- India
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Ali S, Zia-ur-Rehman, Muneeb-ur-Rehman, Khan I, Shah SNA, Ali RF, Shah A, Badshah A, Akbar K, Bélanger-Gariepy F. New homobimetallic organotin(IV) dithiocarbamates as potent antileishmanial agents. J COORD CHEM 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/00958972.2014.960406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sher Ali
- Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Zia-ur-Rehman
- Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Muneeb-ur-Rehman
- Department of Physics, Islamia College University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Imran Khan
- Department of Biotechnology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | | | - Rana Faryad Ali
- Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Afzal Shah
- Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Amin Badshah
- Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Kamran Akbar
- Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
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Bhalerao UM, Acharya J, Halve AK, Kaushik MP. Controlled drug delivery of antileishmanial chalcones from Layer-by-Layer (LbL) self assembled PSS/PDADMAC thin films. RSC Adv 2014. [DOI: 10.1039/c3ra44611e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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Activity of imidazole compounds on Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi: reactive oxygen species induced by econazole. Mol Cell Biochem 2013; 389:293-300. [PMID: 24374794 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-013-1954-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Accepted: 12/19/2013] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Drug repositioning has been considered a promising approach to discover novel treatments against neglected diseases. Among the major protozoan diseases, leishmaniasis remains a public health threat with few therapeutic alternatives, affecting 12 million people in 98 countries. In this study, we report the in vitro antileishmanial activity of the imidazole drugs clotrimazole, and for the first time in literature, econazole and bifonazole and their potential action to affect the regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) of the parasites. The lethal action of the imidazoles was investigated using spectrofluorimetric techniques to detect ROS content, plasma membrane permeability, and mitochondrial membrane potential. The imidazoles showed activity against L. (L.) infantum chagasi promastigotes with IC50 values in a range of 2-8 μM; econazole was also effective against Leishmania intracellular amastigotes, with an IC50 value of 11 μM, a similar in vitro effectiveness to miltefosine. Leishmania promastigotes rapidly up-regulated the ROS release after incubation with the imidazoles, but econazole showed a marked increase in ROS content of approximately 1,900 % higher than untreated parasites. When using SYTOX(®) Green as a fluorescent probe, the imidazoles demonstrated considerable interference in plasma membrane permeability at the early time of incubation; econazole resulted in the higher influx of SYTOX(®) Green at 60 min. Despite cellular alterations, no depolarization could be observed to the mitochondrial membrane potential of Leishmania until 60 min. The lethal action of econazole involved strong permeabilization of plasma membrane of promastigotes, with an overloaded ROS content that contributed to the death of parasites. Affecting the ROS regulation of Leishmania via small molecules would be an interesting strategy for new drugs.
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Pervez H, Manzoor N, Yaqub M, Khan KM. 5-Nitroisatin-derived thiosemicarbazones: potential antileishmanial agents. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2013; 29:628-32. [DOI: 10.3109/14756366.2013.836641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Humayun Pervez
- Institute of Chemical Sciences, Organic Chemistry Division, Bahauddin Zakariya University
MultanPakistan
| | - Nazia Manzoor
- Institute of Chemical Sciences, Organic Chemistry Division, Bahauddin Zakariya University
MultanPakistan
| | - Muhammad Yaqub
- Institute of Chemical Sciences, Organic Chemistry Division, Bahauddin Zakariya University
MultanPakistan
| | - Khalid Mohammed Khan
- H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi
KarachiPakistan
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Otero E, Robledo SM, Díaz S, Carda M, Muñoz D, Paños J, Vélez ID, Cardona W. Synthesis and leishmanicidal activity of cinnamic acid esters: structure–activity relationship. Med Chem Res 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00044-013-0741-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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19
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Strategies for the design of orally bioavailable antileishmanial treatments. Int J Pharm 2013; 454:539-52. [PMID: 23871737 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2013.07.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2013] [Revised: 07/08/2013] [Accepted: 07/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is one of the six major tropical diseases targeted by the World Health Organization. The most serious, life-threatening form is visceral leishmaniasis (VL). No vaccine is yet available for human use and chemotherapy is the main mean of dealing with this disease. This review focuses on the development of drug delivery systems (DDS) for treatment of leishmaniasis. After an overview of the significance of leishmaniasis in 2013, current chemotherapy and its limitations are considered, leading to possible strategies to improve the treatment of VL: new drugs, combinations of existing drugs and DDS, particularly for oral administration. Nanostructured biomaterials such as lipid-based or polymeric nanoparticles have unique physicochemical properties, ultra-small and controllable size, large surface area to mass ratio and the possibility of surface modification which can be used to advantage for the oral administration of antileishmanial drugs. They can improve the rate of dissolution of poorly water-soluble drugs, increase intestinal residence time by bioadhesion and, especially when lipid additives are used, influence the route and efficiency of absorption. These recent advances in this very active field should lead to better management of this serious disease.
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Maity A, Hazra A, Palit P, Mondal S, Lala S, Mondal NB. The cytotoxic effects of diketopiperaizes against Leishmania donovani promastigotes and amastigotes. Med Chem Res 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00044-012-0355-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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21
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Kuroyanagi M, Murata M, Nakane T, Shirota O, Sekita S, Fuchino H, Shinwari ZK. Leishmanicidal active withanolides from a pakistani medicinal plant, Withania coagulans. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2012; 60:892-7. [PMID: 22790824 DOI: 10.1248/cpb.c12-00264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In the course of screening for leishmanicidal constituents from Asian and South American medicinal plants, a Pakistani medicinal plant, Withania coagulans, showed activity. We therefore studied the active components of the methanol extract of aerial parts of W. coagulans. From the ethyl acetate soluble fraction of the extract, four new withanolides (1-4) were isolated along with seven known withanolides (5-11). The new compounds were elucidated to be (14R,15R,17S,20S,22R)-14,15,17,20-tetrahydroxy-1-oxowitha-2,5,24-trienolide (1), (14R,15R,17S,20S,22R)-14,15,17,20-tetrahydroxy-1-oxowitha-3,5,24-trienolide (2), (14S,17R,20S,22R)-14,17,20-trihydroxy-1-oxowitha-2,5,24-trienolide (3), and (14S,17R,20S,22R)-14,17,20-trihydroxy-1-oxowitha-3,5,24-trienolide (4), from 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, 2D-NMR and high resolution (HR)-MS data. Some of these compounds having the partial structure 1-oxo-2,5-diene showed strong leishmanicidal activity against Leishmania major.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masanori Kuroyanagi
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciemces at Kagawa Campus, Tokushima Bunri Universiyty, Shido, Sanuki, Kagawa, Japan.
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de Oliveira A, Mesquita JT, Tempone AG, Lago JHG, Guimarães EF, Kato MJ. Leishmanicidal activity of an alkenylphenol from Piper malacophyllum is related to plasma membrane disruption. Exp Parasitol 2012; 132:383-7. [PMID: 22981719 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2012.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2012] [Revised: 08/10/2012] [Accepted: 08/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease are parasitic protozoan infections that affect the poorest population in the world, causing high mortality and morbidity. As a result of highly toxic and long-duration treatments, novel, safe and more efficacious drugs are essential. In this work, the methanol (MeOH) extract from the leaves of Piper malacophyllum (Piperaceae) was fractioned to afford one alkenylphenol, which was characterized as 4-[(3'E)-decenyl]phenol (gibbilimbol B) by spectroscopic methods. Anti-protozoan in vitro assays demonstrated for the first time that Leishmania (L.) infantum chagasi was susceptible to gibbilimbol B, with an in vitro EC(50) of 23 μg/mL against axenic promastigotes and an EC(50) of 22 μg/mL against intracellular amastigotes. Gibbilimbol B was also tested for anti-trypanosomal activity (Trypanosoma cruzi) and showed an EC(50) value of 17 μg/mL against trypomastigotes. To evaluate the cytotoxic parameters, this alkenylphenol was tested in vitro against NCTC cells, showing a CC(50) of 59 μg/mL and absent hemolytic activity at the highest concentration of 75 μg/mL. Using the fluorescent probe SYTOX Green suggested that the alkenylphenol disrupted the Leishmania plasma membrane upon initial incubation. Further drug design studies aiming at derivatives could be a promising tool for the development of new therapeutic agents for leishmaniasis and Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto de Oliveira
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
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Chavali AK, Blazier AS, Tlaxca JL, Jensen PA, Pearson RD, Papin JA. Metabolic network analysis predicts efficacy of FDA-approved drugs targeting the causative agent of a neglected tropical disease. BMC SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2012; 6:27. [PMID: 22540944 PMCID: PMC3388006 DOI: 10.1186/1752-0509-6-27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2012] [Accepted: 04/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Background Systems biology holds promise as a new approach to drug target identification and drug discovery against neglected tropical diseases. Genome-scale metabolic reconstructions, assembled from annotated genomes and a vast array of bioinformatics/biochemical resources, provide a framework for the interrogation of human pathogens and serve as a platform for generation of future experimental hypotheses. In this article, with the application of selection criteria for both Leishmania major targets (e.g. in silico gene lethality) and drugs (e.g. toxicity), a method (MetDP) to rationally focus on a subset of low-toxic Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs is introduced. Results This metabolic network-driven approach identified 15 L. major genes as high-priority targets, 8 high-priority synthetic lethal targets, and 254 FDA-approved drugs. Results were compared to previous literature findings and existing high-throughput screens. Halofantrine, an antimalarial agent that was prioritized using MetDP, showed noticeable antileishmanial activity when experimentally evaluated in vitro against L. major promastigotes. Furthermore, synthetic lethality predictions also aided in the prediction of superadditive drug combinations. For proof-of-concept, double-drug combinations were evaluated in vitro against L. major and four combinations involving the drug disulfiram that showed superadditivity are presented. Conclusions A direct metabolic network-driven method that incorporates single gene essentiality and synthetic lethality predictions is proposed that generates a set of high-priority L. major targets, which are in turn associated with a select number of FDA-approved drugs that are candidate antileishmanials. Additionally, selection of high-priority double-drug combinations might provide for an attractive and alternative avenue for drug discovery against leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arvind K Chavali
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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24
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Arango V, Domínguez JJ, Cardona W, Robledo SM, Muñoz DL, Figadere B, Sáez J. Synthesis and leishmanicidal activity of quinoline–triclosan and quinoline–eugenol hybrids. Med Chem Res 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00044-011-9886-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Khan KM, Mughal UR, Ambreen N, Samreen, Perveen S, Choudhary MI. Synthesis and leishmanicidal activity of 2,3,4-substituted-5-imidazolones. J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem 2009; 25:29-37. [DOI: 10.3109/14756360902932768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Khalid Mohammed Khan
- H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Uzma Rasool Mughal
- H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Nida Ambreen
- H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Samreen
- H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
| | | | - M. Iqbal Choudhary
- H. E. J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan
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Khan KM, Khan MZ, Taha M, Maharvi GM, Saify ZS, Parveen S, Choudhary MI. Leishmanicidal potential of N-substituted morpholine derivatives: Synthesis and structure–activity relationships. Nat Prod Res 2009; 23:479-84. [DOI: 10.1080/14786410802090359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Palit P, Paira P, Hazra A, Banerjee S, Gupta AD, Dastidar SG, Mondal NB. Phase transfer catalyzed synthesis of bis-quinolines: Antileishmanial activity in experimental visceral leishmaniasis and in vitro antibacterial evaluation. Eur J Med Chem 2009; 44:845-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2008.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2007] [Revised: 04/14/2008] [Accepted: 04/24/2008] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Suzuki A, Shirota O, Mori K, Sekita S, Fuchino H, Takano A, Kuroyanagi M. Leishmanicidal Active Constituents from Nepalese Medicinal Plant Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum L.). Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 2009; 57:245-51. [DOI: 10.1248/cpb.57.245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Akiko Suzuki
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Prefectural University of Hiroshima
| | - Osamu Shirota
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kagawa Campus, Tokushima Bunri University
| | - Kanami Mori
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kagawa Campus, Tokushima Bunri University
| | - Setsuko Sekita
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Kagawa Campus, Tokushima Bunri University
| | - Hiroyuki Fuchino
- Research Center of Medicinal Plant Resources, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation
| | | | - Masanori Kuroyanagi
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Prefectural University of Hiroshima
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Efficacy of the tubercidin antileishmania action associated with an inhibitor of the nucleoside transport. Parasitol Res 2008; 104:223-8. [PMID: 18787843 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-008-1177-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2008] [Accepted: 08/18/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Tubercidin (TUB) is an adenosine analog with potent antiparasite action, unfortunately associated with severe host toxicity. Prevention of TUB toxicity can be reached associating nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR), an inhibitor of the purine nucleoside transport, specifically target to the mammal cells. It was demonstrated that this nucleoside transport inhibitor has no significant effect in the in vitro uptake of TUB by Schistosoma mansoni and Trypanosoma gambiense. Seeking to evaluate if the association of these compounds is also effective against leishmania, we analyzed the TUB-NBMPR combined treatment in in vitro cultures of promastigote forms of Leishmania (L.) amazonensis, Leishmania (L.) chagasi, Leishmania (L.) major, and Leishmania (V.) braziliensis as well as in cultures of amastigote forms of L. (L.) amazonensis, mice macrophages infected with L. (L.) amazonensis, and in vivo tests in BALB/c mice infected with L. (L.) amazonensis. We demonstrated that TUB-NBMPR combined treatment can be effective against leishmania cells protecting mammalian cells from TUB toxicity.
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Santos DO, Coutinho CER, Madeira MF, Bottino CG, Vieira RT, Nascimento SB, Bernardino A, Bourguignon SC, Corte-Real S, Pinho RT, Rodrigues CR, Castro HC. Leishmaniasis treatment—a challenge that remains: a review. Parasitol Res 2008; 103:1-10. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-008-0943-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2008] [Accepted: 02/20/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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In vitro antileishmanial activity of Adana propolis samples on Leishmania tropica: a preliminary study. Parasitol Res 2008; 102:1217-25. [PMID: 18264819 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-008-0896-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2007] [Accepted: 01/21/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Propolis (bee glue) is a natural resinous hive product, collected from various plant sources. It has attracted much attention as a useful substance applied in medicine due to its pharmacological activities. It was aimed to investigate the in vitro effects of an ethanolic extract of Adana propolis samples on the growth of Leishmania tropica. Parasite cells were treated with five concentrations (25, 50, 100, 50, 500, and 750 microg/ml) of the propolis. The number of promastigotes in each concentration was calculated using a hemocytometer slide at 24, 48, and 72 h after being harvested. In the experiments, it was determined that the concentrations up to 100 mug/ml of the propolis did not exhibit antileishmanial activity against the parasites cells. At these concentrations, there was no changes in terms of morphologically. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in terms of cell count between control and these three groups (p > 0.05). However, in culture media containing the propolis samples at 250, 500, and 750-microg/ml concentrations, statistically significant differences in cell counts were observed, as compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Our results demonstrate that ethanolic extracts of Adana propolis samples reduce the proliferation of L. tropica parasites significantly.
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Pentoxifylline prevents the meglumine antimonate-induced renal toxicity in rats, but not that induced by the inorganic antimony pentachloride. Toxicology 2008; 243:66-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2007.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2007] [Revised: 09/06/2007] [Accepted: 09/24/2007] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Esfandiarpour I, Dabiri SH. Treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis recidivans with a combination of allopurinol and meglumine antimoniate: a clinical and histologic study. Int J Dermatol 2007; 46:848-52. [PMID: 17651170 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2007.03086.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an endemic disease in Iran, particularly in Kerman Province. Leishmaniasis recidivans (LR) is one of the characteristics of this disease with a chronic course. Most patients with LR are resistant to the usual treatments. METHODS Thirty-two patients (18 females and 14 males), suffering from LR, whose disease had been demonstrated by previous direct smears or skin biopsies, were included in this study in Kerman. The duration of disease in all patients was more than 1.5 years, and they had all previously received various drugs for their disease. All patients were treated with a combination of oral allopurinol (20 mg/kg for 30 days) and intramuscular injection of meglumine antimoniate (50 mg/kg for 15 days) and were followed up for 2 years. Skin biopsies were obtained from the skin lesions of nine cases at the beginning (baseline), during, and end of therapy. All patients were checked for complete blood count (CBC) and liver and kidney function tests on the first and last day of treatment. RESULTS All patients, except two (87.5%), responded well to treatment within 30 days. No significant side-effects were observed. The disease of two patients (Cases 24 and 28) recurred 6 and 13 months after treatment, respectively. Histologic examination of nine cases during and at the end of therapy showed a progression to atrophied granulomata, more lymphocytic than histiocytic infiltration, and, finally, fibrosis replacing the granulomata. CONCLUSIONS From the results of this study, a combination of allopurinol plus meglumine antimoniate may be considered as a highly effective treatment for LR.
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Teixeira AC, Paes MG, Guerra JDO, Prata A, Silva-Vergara ML. Low efficacy of azithromycin to treat cutaneous leishmaniasis in Manaus, AM, Brazil. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2007; 49:235-8. [PMID: 17823753 DOI: 10.1590/s0036-46652007000400008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2006] [Accepted: 11/27/2006] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
An open trial to evaluate the azithromycin efficacy in cutaneous leishmaniasis patients was carried out in Manaus (AM), where Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis is the main etiologic agent. Forty-one patients with skin lesions of less than 12 weeks duration, without specific treatment for the last three months and a positive imprint to Leishmania sp. were included. From these, 31 (75.6%) were male with median age of 30.2. All of them received a daily-single oral dose of 500 mg of azithromycin for ten days. At 25th day, 16 (39%) presented therapeutic failure and received intramuscular pentavalent antimonial, four were considered lost, 21, that had improved or were inaltered received another ten-day series of azithromycin and were monthly followed, but nine (21.9%) of them presented a poor clinical response and switched to intramuscular pentavalent antimonial on day 55. Of the 12 remaining cases evaluated on day 55, despite of clinical improvement, three asked for antimony therapy and 9 (21.9%) continued the follow-up but, only three were cured on 55th, 85th and 115th days, and six did not come back for final evaluation. The intention-treatment overall response rate was 22% and whole cure was seen in three (7.3%) of cases. Thus, azithromycin showed a low efficacy to treat cutaneous leishmaniasis in Manaus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan César Teixeira
- Curso de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical e Infectologia, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG, Brasil
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Papadopoulou B, Kündig C, Singh A, Ouellette M. Drug resistance in Leishmania: similarities and differences to other organisms. Drug Resist Updat 2007; 1:266-78. [PMID: 16904409 DOI: 10.1016/s1368-7646(98)80007-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/1998] [Revised: 06/19/1998] [Accepted: 06/19/1998] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The main line of defense available against parasitic protozoa is chemotherapy. Drug resistance has emerged however, as a primary obstacle to the successful treatment and control of parasitic diseases. Leishmania spp., the causative agents of leishmaniasis, have served as a useful model for studying mechanisms of drug resistance in vitro. Antimonials and amphotericin B are the first line drugs to treat Leishmania followed by pentamidine and a number of other drugs. Parasites resistant against all these classes of drugs have been selected under laboratory conditions. A multiplicity of resistance mechanisms has been detected, the most prevalent being gene amplification and transport mutations. With the tools now available, it should be possible to elucidate the mechanisms that govern drug resistance in field isolates and develop more effective chemotherapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Papadopoulou
- Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie du Centre de Recherche du CHUL et Départment de Biologie Médicale, Division de Microbiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, Canada GIV 4G2.
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36
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Gupta L, Talwar A, Palne S, Gupta S, Chauhan PMS. Synthesis of marine alkaloid: 8,9-dihydrocoscinamide B and its analogues as Novel class of antileishmanial agents. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2007; 17:4075-9. [PMID: 17548194 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2007.04.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2007] [Revised: 03/21/2007] [Accepted: 04/11/2007] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A series of marine alkaloid 8,9-dihydrocoscinamide B, its analogues and indolylglyoxylamide derivatives have been synthesized and screened for their in vitro antileishmanial activity profile in promastigote and amastigote models. Compounds 7 and 10 have shown 99-100% inhibition against promastigotes and 97-98% inhibition against amastigotes at a concentration of 10 microg/ml.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leena Gupta
- Division of Medicinal and Process Chemistry, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226001, India
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Sunduru N, Agarwal A, Katiyar SB, Goyal N, Gupta S, Chauhan PMS. Synthesis of 2,4,6-trisubstituted pyrimidine and triazine heterocycles as antileishmanial agents. Bioorg Med Chem 2006; 14:7706-15. [PMID: 16945542 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2006.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2006] [Revised: 08/08/2006] [Accepted: 08/09/2006] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
A series of 2,4,6 trisubstituted pyrimidines and triazines have been synthesized and screened for its in vitro antileishmanial activity profile in promastigote model. Nine compounds have shown > 94% inhibition against promastigotes at a concentration of 10 microg/mL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naresh Sunduru
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226001, India
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Hadighi R, Mohebali M, Boucher P, Hajjaran H, Khamesipour A, Ouellette M. Unresponsiveness to Glucantime treatment in Iranian cutaneous leishmaniasis due to drug-resistant Leishmania tropica parasites. PLoS Med 2006; 3:e162. [PMID: 16605301 PMCID: PMC1435779 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0030162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 201] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2005] [Accepted: 02/02/2006] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent circumstantial evidence suggests that an increasing number of Iranian patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis are unresponsive to meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime), the first line of treatment in Iran. This study was designed to determine whether the clinical responses (healing, or non-healing) were correlated with the susceptibility of Leishmania parasites to Glucantime. METHODS AND FINDINGS In vitro susceptibility testing was first performed on 185 isolated parasites in the intracellular mouse peritoneal macrophage model. A strong correlation between the clinical outcome and the in vitro effective concentration 50% (EC50) values was observed. Parasites derived from patients with non-healing lesions had EC50 values at least 4-fold higher than parasites derived from lesions of healing patients. A selection of these strains was typed at the molecular level by pulsed-field gels and by sequencing the pteridine reductase 1 (PTR1) gene. These techniques indicated that 28 out of 31 selected strains were Leishmania tropica and that three were Leishmania major. The L. major isolates were part of a distinct pulsed-field group, and the L. tropica isolates could be classified in three related additional pulsed-field groups. For each pulsed-field karyotype, we selected sensitive and resistant parasites in which we transfected the firefly luciferase marker to assess further the in vitro susceptibility of field isolates in the monocyte cell line THP1. These determinations confirmed unequivocally that patients with non-healing lesions were infected with L. tropica parasites resistant to Glucantime. Additional characterization of the resistant isolates showed that resistance is stable and can be reversed by buthionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of glutathione biosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of proven resistant parasites contributing to treatment failure for cutaneous leishmaniasis and shows that primary Glucantime-resistant L. tropica field isolates are now frequent in Iran.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramtin Hadighi
- 1School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Mohebali
- 1School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
(MO), E-mail:
(MM)
| | - Patrick Boucher
- 2Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie and Département de Biologie Médicale, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Homa Hajjaran
- 1School of Public Health and Institute of Public Health Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Khamesipour
- 3Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Marc Ouellette
- 2Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie and Département de Biologie Médicale, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
- * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
(MO), E-mail:
(MM)
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Narender T, Khaliq T, Goyal N, Gupta S. Synthesis of chromenochalcones and evaluation of their in vitro antileishmanial activity. Bioorg Med Chem 2005; 13:6543-50. [PMID: 16185885 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2005.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2005] [Revised: 07/08/2005] [Accepted: 07/08/2005] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A large number of novel chromenochalcones were synthesized by pyridine-catalysed chromenylation of mono-chelated meta-dihydric acetophenones with the monoterpene, citral dimethyl acetal and subsequent Claisen-Schmidt condensation of the resultant acylchromenes with appropriate aromatic aldehydes. These chromenochalcones 1-19 were screened against in vitro extracellular promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania donovani. The most potent compound in this series was compound 9 with a pyridine ring-A, which showed 99% inhibition of promastigotes at 10 microg/ml, 82% at 0.25 microg/ml and 96% at 10 microg/ml concentration against amastigotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadigoppula Narender
- Division of Medicinal and Process Chemistry, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India.
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Agarwal A, Goyal N, Chauhan PMS, Gupta S. Dihydropyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines as a new class of antileishmanial agents. Bioorg Med Chem 2005; 13:6678-84. [PMID: 16126395 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2005.07.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2005] [Revised: 07/18/2005] [Accepted: 07/18/2005] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A series of dihydropyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidines have been synthesized and screened for its in vitro antileishmanial activity profile in promastigote and amastigote models. Compounds 2a-2l have shown 83-100% inhibition against promastigotes and 79-100% inhibition against amastigotes at a concentration of 50 microg/mL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anu Agarwal
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226001, India
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41
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Kothari H, Kumar P, Singh N. Prokaryotic expression, purification, and polyclonal antibody production against a novel drug resistance gene of Leishmania donovani clinical isolate. Protein Expr Purif 2005; 45:15-21. [PMID: 16289919 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2005.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2005] [Revised: 09/24/2005] [Accepted: 10/02/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Diseases produced by protozoan parasites are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality around the world, affecting millions of people. Among these, leishmaniasis has become the second most common cause of death and the problem is further complicated by the expansion of parasite resistance to the conventional drugs. The high rate of therapeutic failure thus calls for new rational approaches to develop alternative drugs. Understanding resistance mechanisms may help identify new targets for drug development. So we present here the cloning, expression, purification, and antibody production of a gene implicated in imparting resistance to pentavalent antimony (SbV) in clinical isolates of kala azar with a view to gain insight into the novel mechanism of its drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hema Kothari
- Drug Target Discovery and Development Division, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India
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42
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Chai Y, Yan S, Wong ILK, Chow LMC, Sun H. Complexation of antimony (Sb(V)) with guanosine 5'-monophosphate and guanosine 5'-diphospho-D-mannose: formation of both mono- and bis-adducts. J Inorg Biochem 2005; 99:2257-63. [PMID: 16214217 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2005.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2005] [Revised: 08/08/2005] [Accepted: 08/18/2005] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In spite of the extensive use of pentavalent antimony chemotherapy, the mechanism of its anti-leishmania action is still not clear. Here, we report the interactions of Sb(V), including the clinically used drug stibogluconate, with guanosine 5'-monophosphate (5'-GMP) and guanosine 5'-diphospho-d-mannose (5'-GDP-mannose) in aqueous solution. The deprotonated hydroxyl groups (-OH) of the ribose ring are shown to be the binding site for Sb(V), probably via chelation. Both mono- and bis-adducts were formed as determined by NMR, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), and both of them are stable in the pH range of 4 to around 9.5. The formation of the mono-adduct (k(1)=1.67x10(-3) and 3.43x10(-3) mM(-1) min(-1) for Sb(5'-GMP) and Sb(5'-GDP-mannose), respectively, at 298 K) was 10-fold faster than that of the bis-adduct (k(2)=0.16x10(-3) and 0.21x10(-3) mM(-1) min(-1), for Sb(5'-GMP)(2) and Sb(5'-GDP-mannose)(2), respectively), and the mono-adduct was the major species in solution with the [bis-adduct]/[mono-adduct]<0.5. The reactions of stibogluconate with 5'-GMP and 5'-GDP-mannose were slower than that of antimonate under similar conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Chai
- Department of Chemistry and Open Laboratory of Chemical Biology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, PR China
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43
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Ukil A, Biswas A, Das T, Das PK. 18 Beta-glycyrrhetinic acid triggers curative Th1 response and nitric oxide up-regulation in experimental visceral leishmaniasis associated with the activation of NF-kappa B. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2005; 175:1161-9. [PMID: 16002718 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.175.2.1161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The efficacy of 18beta-glycyrrhetinic acid (GRA), a pentacyclic triterpene belonging to the beta-amyrin series of plant origin, was evaluated in experimental visceral leishmaniasis. GRA is reported to have antitumor and immunoregulatory activities, which may be attributable in part to the induction of NO. Indeed, an 11-fold increase in NO production was observed with 20 microM GRA in mouse peritoneal macrophages infected with Leishmania donovani promastigotes. In addition to having appreciable inhibitory effects on amastigote multiplication within macrophages (IC(50), 4.6 microg/ml), complete elimination of liver and spleen parasite burden was achieved by GRA at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day, given three times, 5 days apart, in a 45-day mouse model of visceral leishmaniasis. GRA treatment resulted in reduced levels of IL-10 and IL-4, but increased levels of IL-12, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and inducible NO synthase, reflecting a switch of CD4(+) differentiation from Th2 to Th1. This treatment is likely to activate immunity, thereby imparting resistance to reinfection. GRA induced NF-kappaB migration into the nucleus of parasite-infected cells and caused a diminishing presence of IkappaB in the cytoplasm. The lower level of cytoplasmic IkappaBalpha in GRA-treated cells resulted from increased phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha and higher activity of IkappaB kinase (IKK). Additional experiments demonstrated that GRA does not directly affect IKK activity. These results suggest that GRA exerts its effects at some level upstream of IKK in the signaling pathway and induces the production of proinflammatory mediators through a mechanism that, at least in part, involves induction of NF-kappaB activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anindita Ukil
- Molecular Cell Biology Laboratory, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4 Raja S.C. Mullick Road, Calcutta 700032, India
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44
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Macharia JC, Bourdichon AJ, Gicheru MM. Efficacy of Trypan: a diminazene based drug as antileishmanial agent. Acta Trop 2004; 92:267-72. [PMID: 15533297 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2004.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2004] [Revised: 08/09/2004] [Accepted: 08/17/2004] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Trypan, a diamidine based drug, was tested as an antileishmanial agent. Duplicate cultures of both Leishmania major and Leishmania donovani promastigotes in M199 medium and Trypan at various concentrations were tested. The cultures were incubated at 25 degrees C and parasites counted at 48 h interval, and the data generated was used to establish growth inhibition curves. Drug-free cultures were included to serve as control. In the in vivo study, a total of 40 BALB/c mice were divided into five groups of 8 mice each. They were infected with 2 x 10(6) promastogotes on the left footpad. Two groups were treated with 70 microg/ml of Trypan, a total of 500 microl used immediately after infection, one group by topical application and the other administered intraperitoneally. The treatments were repeated for the two other groups 10 weeks post infection, one by topical application and the other administered intraperitoneally. One group was not treated and thus served as control. Footpad sizes were measured using Vernier calliper every 2 weeks for 21 weeks. In the in vitro studies, Trypan inhibited growth of either L. major or L. donovani promastigotes in all the concentrations tested with more dramatic inhibition in high concentrations. Based on the in vivo studies, it was evident that Trypan had effect on L. major infected lesions when applied topically immediately after infection. However, there was no effect when treatment commenced after the lesions were established. The data is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C Macharia
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 24481, Karen, Nairobi, Kenya
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45
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Augusto MJ, Squina FM, Marchini JFM, Dias FC, Tosi LRO. Specificity of modified Drosophila mariner transposons in the identification of Leishmania genes. Exp Parasitol 2004; 108:109-13. [PMID: 15582507 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2004.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2004] [Revised: 07/02/2004] [Accepted: 08/03/2004] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Genetic manipulation of the protozoan Leishmania has led to a better understanding of the survival and development of these pathogens within their hosts. The association of the Leishmania genome sequencing information with the ability of transposons to introduce or destroy phenotypes allows a global perspective on the role and importance of genes in cellular pathways. Herein we report the construction and testing of mariner transposable elements carrying the neomycin phosphotransferase, green fluorescent protein, or beta-glucuronidase genes as reporters for translational fusion events. We demonstrate that the expression of the reporter genes will occur only when the genes are inserted in-frame within predicted genes. Our results not only add to the mariner toolkit for gene manipulation but also strengthen the evidence that the mariner system is a reliable means for the study of gene expression in Leishmania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlei J Augusto
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo. Av. Bandeirantes 3900, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil
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46
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Silva-Vergara ML, Silva LDA, Maneira FRZ, da Silva AG, Prata A. Azithromycin in the treatment of mucosal leishmaniasis. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2004; 46:175-7. [PMID: 15286825 DOI: 10.1590/s0036-46652004000300011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This report describes three elderly patients with mucosal form of American tegumentary leishmaniasis associated with chronic cardiopathy. Due to the known toxicity of classical drugs with activity against Leishmania sp., the patients received three oral courses of azithromycin therapy in single 500 mg daily dose during ten days, every other month. All lesions healed after the third series. One of the patients relapsed and a new series of azithromycin was prescribed. Azithromycin may be an alternative drug for the treatment of leishmaniasis in special situations due to its optimal mucosal and intraphagocyte concentration, single daily posology, high tolerance and oral administration. The mechanism of this drug on Leishmania sp. is unknown at present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario León Silva-Vergara
- Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG, Brazil.
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47
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Mendonça-Filho RR, Rodrigues IA, Alviano DS, Santos ALS, Soares RMA, Alviano CS, Lopes AHCS, Rosa MDSS. Leishmanicidal activity of polyphenolic-rich extract from husk fiber of Cocos nucifera Linn. (Palmae). Res Microbiol 2004; 155:136-43. [PMID: 15059625 DOI: 10.1016/j.resmic.2003.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2003] [Accepted: 11/26/2003] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The available therapy for leishmaniasis, which affects 2 million people per annum, still causes serious side effects. The polyphenolic-rich extract from the husk fiber of Cocos nucifera Linn. (Palmae) presents antibacterial and antiviral activities, also inhibiting lymphocyte proliferation, as shown by our group in previous works. In the present study, the in vitro leishmanicidal effects of C. nucifera on Leishmania amazonensis were evaluated. The minimal inhibitory concentration of the polyphenolic-rich extract from C. nucifera to completely abrogate parasite growth was 10 microg/ml. Pretreatment of peritoneal mouse macrophages with 10 microg/ml of C. nucifera polyphenolic-rich extract reduced approximately 44% the association index between these macrophages and L. amazonensis promastigotes, with a concomitant increase of 182% in nitric oxide production by the infected macrophage in comparison to nontreated macrophages. These results provide new perspectives on drug development against leishmaniasis, since the extract of C. nucifera at 10 microg/ml is a strikingly potent leishmanicidal substance which inhibited the growth of both promastigote and amastigote developmental stages of L. amazonensis after 60 min, presenting no in vivo allergenic reactions or in vitro cytotoxic effects in mammalian systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo R Mendonça-Filho
- Instituto de Microbiologia Prof. Paulo de Góes, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-590, Brazil.
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48
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Cordeiro AT, Michels PAM, Delboni LF, Thiemann OH. The crystal structure of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase from Leishmania mexicana reveals novel active site features. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 271:2765-72. [PMID: 15206941 DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.2004.04205.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Glucose-6-phosphate isomerase catalyzes the reversible aldose-ketose isomerization of D-glucose-6-phosphate to D-fructose-6-phosphate in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, and in the recycling of hexose-6-phosphate in the pentose phosphate pathway. The unicellular protozoans, Trypanosoma brucei, T. cruzi and Leishmania spp., of the order Kinetoplastida are important human parasites responsible for African sleeping sickness, Chagas' disease and leishmaniases, respectively. In these parasites, glycolysis is an important (and in some cases the only) metabolic pathway for ATP supply. The first seven of the 10 enzymes that participate in glycolysis, as well as an important fraction of the enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway, are compartmentalized in peroxisome-like organelles called glycosomes. The dependence of the parasites on glycolysis, the importance of the pentose phosphate pathway in defense against oxidative stress, and the unique compartmentalization of these pathways, point to the enzymes contained in the glycosome as potential targets for drug design. The present report describes the first crystallographic structure of a parasite (Leishmania mexicana) glucose-6-phosphate isomerase. A comparison of the atomic structure of L. mexicana, human and other mammalian PGIs, which highlights unique features of the parasite's enzyme, is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artur T Cordeiro
- Laboratory of Protein Crystallography and Structural Biology, Physics Institute of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos-SP, Brazil
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49
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Coelho AC, Tosi LRO, Cotrim PC. Mapping of a Leishmania major gene/locus that confers pentamidine resistance by deletion and insertion of transposable element. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2004; 46:109-12. [PMID: 15141283 DOI: 10.1590/s0036-46652004000200010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Pentamidine (PEN) is an alternative compound to treat antimony-resistant leishmaniasis patients, which cellular target remains unclear. One approach to the identification of prospective targets is to identify genes able to mediate PEN resistance following overexpression. Starting from a genomic library of transfected parasites bearing a multicopy episomal cosmid vector containing wild-type Leishmania major DNA, we isolated one locus capable to render PEN resistance to wild type cells after DNA transfection. In order to map this Leishmania locus, cosmid insert was deleted by two successive sets of partial digestion with restriction enzymes, followed by transfection into wild type cells, overexpression, induction and functional tests in the presence of PEN. To determine the Leishmania gene related to PEN resistance, nucleotide sequencing experiments were done through insertion of the transposon Mariner element of Drosophila melanogaster (mosK) into the deleted insert to work as primer island. Using general molecular techniques, we described here this method that permits a quickly identification of a functional gene facilitating nucleotide sequence experiments from large DNA fragments. Followed experiments revealed the presence of a P-Glycoprotein gene in this locus which role in Leishmania metabolism has now been analyzed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano C Coelho
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
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50
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Santos WR, Aguiar IA, Paraguai de Souza E, de Lima VMF, Palatnik M, Palatnik-de-Sousa CB. Immunotherapy against murine experimental visceral leishmaniasis with the FML-vaccine. Vaccine 2004; 21:4668-76. [PMID: 14585674 DOI: 10.1016/s0264-410x(03)00527-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The fucose mannose ligand (Leishmania donovani FML)-saponin vaccine has earlier shown its immunoprophylactic potential against visceral leishmaniasis in the CB hamster (87.7% of parasite load reduction), Balb/c (84.4%) and Swiss albino mouse (85-93%) models. In this investigation its specific immunotherapeutic efficacy against L. donovani infection in Balb/c mice was studied. The effects of vaccine treatment on the humoral response, delayed type of hypersensitivity to promastigote lysate (DTH), cytokine levels in sera and reduction of the liver parasitic load of L. donovani infected mice, were examined. The types and subtypes of anti-FML antibodies increased significantly in the vaccinees over the saline and saponin controls. As expected for a saponin vaccine, the highest ratios were found in relation to IgG1, IgG2a and IgG2b (4.4, 5 and 2.5, respectively). The DTH response and the in vitro ganglion cell proliferative response against FML antigen were also significantly higher than controls (P<0.005). Concomitantly, an impressive and specific decrease of liver parasitic burden was detected only in vaccine-treated animals (94.7%). Our results indicate that the therapeutic FML-vaccine has a potent effect on modulation of the murine infection leading to the reduction of parasitic load and signs of disease, being a new potential tool in the therapy and control of visceral leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wania Renata Santos
- Instituto de Microbiologia, Professor Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), CCS, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, CP 68040, CEP 21941-590 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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