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Ranjan P, Dubey VK. Novel chemical scaffold as potential drug against Leishmania donovani: Integrated computational and experimental approaches. J Cell Biochem 2023; 124:1404-1422. [PMID: 37566640 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.30455] [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: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we have screened a large number of Food and Drug Administration-approved compounds for novel anti-leishmanial molecules targeting the citrate synthase enzyme of the parasite. Based on their docking and molecular dynamic simulation statistics, five compounds were selected. These compounds followed Lipinski's rule of five. Additionally, in vitro, antileishmanial and cytotoxicity studies were performed. The three compounds, Abemaciclib, Bazedoxifene, and Vorapaxar, had shown effective anti-leishmanial activities with IC50 values of 0.92 ± 0.02, 0.65 ± 0.09, and 6.1 ± 0.91 against Leishmania donovani promastigote and with EC50 values of 1.52 ± 0.37, 2.11 ± 0.38, 10.4 ± 1.27 against intramacrophagic amastigote without significantly harming macrophage cells. Among them, from in silico and antileishmanial activities studies, Abemaciclib had been selected based on their less binding energy, good antileishmanial activities, and also a significant difference in their binding energy with human citrate synthase for cell death mechanistic studies using flow cytometry and a DNA fragmentation assay. The action of this compound resulted in an increased reactive oxygen species production, depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential, DNA damage, and an increase in the sub-G1 cell population. These properties are the hallmarks of apoptosis which were further confirmed by apoptotic assay. Based on the above result, this anticancer compound Abemaciclib could be employed as a potential treatment option for leishmaniasis after further confirmation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preeti Ranjan
- School of Biochemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Vikash Kumar Dubey
- School of Biochemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
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2
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Cortazzo da Silva L, Aoki JI, Floeter-Winter LM. Finding Correlations Between mRNA and Protein Levels in Leishmania Development: Is There a Discrepancy? Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:852902. [PMID: 35903202 PMCID: PMC9318571 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.852902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple genes and proteins have been identified as differentially expressed in the stages of the Leishmania life cycle. The differentiation processes are implicated in specific transcriptional and proteomic adjustments driven by gene expression regulation mechanisms. Leishmania parasites lack gene-specific transcriptional control, and gene expression regulation mostly depends on posttranscriptional mechanisms. Due to the lack of transcriptional regulation, criticism regarding the relevance of transcript quantification as a possible and efficient prediction of protein levels is recurrent in studies that use transcriptomic information. The advent of high-throughput technologies has improved the analysis of genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes for different organisms under several conditions. Nevertheless, defining the correlation between transcriptional and proteomic profiles requires arduous and expensive work and remains a challenge in Leishmania. In this review, we analyze transcriptomic and proteomic data for several Leishmania species in two different stages of the parasite life cycle: metacyclogenesis and amastigogenesis (amastigote differentiation). We found a correlation between mRNA and protein levels of 60.9% and 69.8% for metacyclogenesis and amastigogenesis, respectively; showing that majority mRNA and protein levels increase or decrease concomitantly. Among the analyzed genes that did not present correlation indicate that transcriptomic data should be carefully interpreted as protein expression. We also discuss possible explanations and mechanisms involved for this lack of correlation.
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Poulaki A, Piperaki ET, Voulgarelis M. Effects of Visceralising Leishmania on the Spleen, Liver, and Bone Marrow: A Pathophysiological Perspective. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9040759. [PMID: 33916346 PMCID: PMC8066032 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9040759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The leishmaniases constitute a group of parasitic diseases caused by species of the protozoan genus Leishmania. In humans it can present different clinical manifestations and are usually classified as cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral (VL). Although the full range of parasite—host interactions remains unclear, recent advances are improving our comprehension of VL pathophysiology. In this review we explore the differences in VL immunobiology between the liver and the spleen, leading to contrasting infection outcomes in the two organs, specifically clearance of the parasite in the liver and failure of the spleen to contain the infection. Based on parasite biology and the mammalian immune response, we describe how hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF1) and the PI3K/Akt pathway function as major determinants of the observed immune failure. We also summarize existing knowledge on pancytopenia in VL, as a direct effect of the parasite on bone marrow health and regenerative capacity. Finally, we speculate on the possible effect that manipulation by the parasite of the PI3K/Akt/HIF1 axis may have on the myelodysplastic (MDS) features observed in VL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aikaterini Poulaki
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece;
| | - Evangelia-Theophano Piperaki
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece
- Correspondence: (E.-T.P.); (M.V.); Tel.: +30-210-7462136 (E.-T.P.); +30-210-7462647 (M.V.)
| | - Michael Voulgarelis
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece;
- Correspondence: (E.-T.P.); (M.V.); Tel.: +30-210-7462136 (E.-T.P.); +30-210-7462647 (M.V.)
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Barazandeh AF, Mou Z, Ikeogu N, Mejia EM, Edechi CA, Zhang WW, Alizadeh J, Hatch GM, Ghavami S, Matlashewski G, Marshall AJ, Uzonna JE. The Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase Is a Key Metabolic Enzyme and Critical Virulence Factor of Leishmania major. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2021; 206:1013-1026. [PMID: 33462138 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
There is currently no effective vaccine against leishmaniasis because of the lack of sufficient knowledge about the Ags that stimulate host-protective and long-lasting T cell-mediated immunity. We previously identified Leishmania phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK, a gluconeogenic enzyme) as an immunodominant Ag that is expressed by both the insect (promastigote) and mammalian (amastigote) stages of the parasite. In this study, we investigated the role of PEPCK in metabolism, virulence, and immunopathogenicity of Leishmania major We show that targeted loss of PEPCK results in impaired proliferation of L. major in axenic culture and bone marrow-derived macrophages. Furthermore, the deficiency of PEPCK results in highly attenuated pathology in vivo. BALB/c mice infected with PEPCK-deficient parasites failed to develop any cutaneous lesions despite harboring parasites at the cutaneous site of infection. This was associated with a dramatic reduction in the frequency of cytokine (IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10)-producing CD4+ T cells in spleens and lymph nodes draining the infection site. Cells from mice infected with PEPCK-deficient parasites also produced significantly low levels of these cytokines into the culture supernatant following in vitro restimulation with soluble Leishmania Ag. PEPCK-deficient parasites exhibited significantly greater extracellular acidification rate, increased proton leak, and decreased ATP-coupling efficiency and oxygen consumption rates in comparison with their wild-type and addback counterparts. Taken together, these results show that PEPCK is a critical metabolic enzyme for Leishmania, and its deletion results in altered metabolic activity and attenuation of virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Feiz Barazandeh
- Department of Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 0T5, Canada
| | - Zhirong Mou
- Department of Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 0T5, Canada
| | - Nnamdi Ikeogu
- Department of Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 0T5, Canada
| | - Edgard M Mejia
- Department of Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 0T5, Canada
| | - Chidalu A Edechi
- Department of Pathology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Wen-Wei Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0F4, Canada
| | - Javad Alizadeh
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Grant M Hatch
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada; and.,Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Saeid Ghavami
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Greg Matlashewski
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0F4, Canada
| | - Aaron J Marshall
- Department of Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 0T5, Canada
| | - Jude E Uzonna
- Department of Immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 0T5, Canada;
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Fernandes ACBS, Pedroso RB, de Mello TFP, Donatti L, Venazzi EAS, Demarchi IG, Aristides SMA, Lonardoni MVC, Silveira TGV. In vitro characterization of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis isolates from patients with different responses to Glucantime(®) treatment from Northwest Paraná, Brazil. Exp Parasitol 2016; 167:83-93. [PMID: 27181585 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2016.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Revised: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a group of diseases that presents various clinical manifestations. Many studies have shown that the parasite plays an important role in the clinical manifestations and prognosis of this disease. The cutaneous and mucosal forms of American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) are associated with Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, which exhibits intraspecific genetic polymorphisms and various clinical manifestations. The present study focused on four different L. braziliensis strains that were isolated from patients with distinct Glucantime(®) treatment responses. The isolates were described based on their molecular, biological, and infective characteristics. Growth patterns in culture medium and different grow phases were analyzed, MID-Logarithimic (Mid-LOG), Logarithimic (LOG) and Stationary (STAT) phases. Complement resistance was evaluated using guinea pig serum. Infection to murine peritoneal macrophages, cytokine and nitric oxide were analyzed. Ultrastructural features were determined by transmission electron microscopy, and molecular characteristics were determined based on random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). All of the L. braziliensis isolates showed typical growth and similar complement sensitivity patterns. Markedly lower infectivity indexes were observed for all strains in the LOG phase, with different cytokine profiles. The ultrastructure analysis revealed distinct differences between the MID-LOG, LOG, and STAT phases. The RAPD results showed a divergence between the isolates of the L. braziliensis. The in vitro characterization of L. braziliensis isolates from humans with different treatment responses using various parameters enabled us to observe differences among the isolates. Molecular and in vivo characterizations are currently under study to improve understanding of the parasite-host interaction that can imply in the clinical manifestation differences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Raíssa Bocchi Pedroso
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
| | | | - Lucélia Donatti
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
| | | | - Izabel Galhardo Demarchi
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Biomedicina, Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil.
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Rodriguez-Contreras D, Hamilton N. Gluconeogenesis in Leishmania mexicana: contribution of glycerol kinase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, and pyruvate phosphate dikinase. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:32989-3000. [PMID: 25288791 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.569434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Gluconeogenesis is an active pathway in Leishmania amastigotes and is essential for their survival within the mammalian cells. However, our knowledge about this pathway in trypanosomatids is very limited. We investigated the role of glycerol kinase (GK), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and pyruvate phosphate dikinase (PPDK) in gluconeogenesis by generating the respective Leishmania mexicana Δgk, Δpepck, and Δppdk null mutants. Our results demonstrated that indeed GK, PEPCK, and PPDK are key players in the gluconeogenesis pathway in Leishmania, although stage-specific differences in their contribution to this pathway were found. GK participates in the entry of glycerol in promastigotes and amastigotes; PEPCK participates in the entry of aspartate in promastigotes, and PPDK is involved in the entry of alanine in amastigotes. Furthermore, the majority of alanine enters into the pathway via decarboxylation of pyruvate in promastigotes, whereas pathway redundancy is suggested for the entry of aspartate in amastigotes. Interestingly, we also found that l-lactate, an abundant glucogenic precursor in mammals, was used by Leishmania amastigotes to synthesize mannogen, entering the pathway through PPDK. On the basis of these new results, we propose a revision in the current model of gluconeogenesis in Leishmania, emphasizing the differences between amastigotes and promastigotes. This work underlines the importance of studying the trypanosomatid intracellular life cycle stages to gain a better understanding of the pathologies caused in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dayana Rodriguez-Contreras
- From the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239
| | - Nicklas Hamilton
- From the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239
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Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase (NTPDase 1): Localization and in vitro inhibition of promastigotes growth by polyclonal antibodies. Exp Parasitol 2012; 132:293-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2012.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2012] [Revised: 08/07/2012] [Accepted: 08/08/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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