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Arce-Fonseca M, Gutiérrez-Ocejo RA, Rosales-Encina JL, Aranda-Fraustro A, Cabrera-Mata JJ, Rodríguez-Morales O. Nitazoxanide: A Drug Repositioning Compound with Potential Use in Chagas Disease in a Murine Model. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:826. [PMID: 37375773 DOI: 10.3390/ph16060826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease (ChD), caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is the most serious parasitosis in the western hemisphere. Benznidazole and nifurtimox, the only two trypanocidal drugs, are expensive, difficult to obtain, and have severe side effects. Nitazoxanide has shown to be effective against protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. This study aimed to evaluate the nitazoxanide efficacy against the Mexican T. cruzi Ninoa strain in mice. Infected animals were orally treated for 30 days with nitazoxanide (100 mg/kg) or benznidazole (10 mg/kg). The clinical, immunological, and histopathological conditions of the mice were evaluated. Nitazoxanide- or benznidazole-treated mice had longer survival and less parasitemia than those without treatment. Antibody production in the nitazoxanide-treated mice was of the IgG1-type and not of the IgG2-type as in the benznidazole-treated mice. Nitazoxanide-treated mice had significantly high IFN-γ levels compared to the other infected groups. Serious histological damage could be prevented with nitazoxanide treatment compared to without treatment. In conclusion, nitazoxanide decreased parasitemia levels, indirectly induced the production of IgG antibodies, and partially prevented histopathological damage; however, it did not show therapeutic superiority compared to benznidazole in any of the evaluated aspects. Therefore, the repositioning of nitazoxanide as an alternative treatment against ChD could be considered, since it did not trigger adverse effects that worsened the pathological condition of the infected mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minerva Arce-Fonseca
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology and Proteomics, Department of Molecular Biology, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Juan Badiano No. 1, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
| | - Rodolfo Andrés Gutiérrez-Ocejo
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology and Proteomics, Department of Molecular Biology, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Juan Badiano No. 1, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
| | - José Luis Rosales-Encina
- Department of Infectomics and Molecular Pathogenesis, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), Av. Insituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional No. 2508, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, Gustavo A. Madero, Mexico City 07360, Mexico
| | - Alberto Aranda-Fraustro
- Department of Pathology, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Juan Badiano No. 1, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
| | - Juan José Cabrera-Mata
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology and Proteomics, Department of Molecular Biology, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Juan Badiano No. 1, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
| | - Olivia Rodríguez-Morales
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology and Proteomics, Department of Molecular Biology, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Juan Badiano No. 1, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
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2
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Strauss M, Lo Presti MS, Ramírez JC, Bazán PC, Velázquez López DA, Báez AL, Paglini PA, Schijman AG, Rivarola HW. Differential tissue distribution of discrete typing units after drug combination therapy in experimental Trypanosoma cruzi mixed infection. Parasitology 2021; 148:1595-1601. [PMID: 35060468 PMCID: PMC11010057 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182021001281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the present work was to evaluate the distribution of the different clones of the parasite prevailing after treatment with benznidazole (BZ) and clomipramine (CLO), in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, Casibla isolate which consists of a mixture of two discrete typing units (DTUs). Albino Swiss mice were infected and treated with high and low concentrations of BZ (100 or 6.25 mg/kg), CLO (5 or 1.25 mg/kg), or the combination of both low doses (BZ6.25 + CLO1.25), during the acute phase of experimental infection. Treatment efficacy was evaluated by comparing parasitaemia, survival and tissular parasite presence. For DTUs genotyping, blood, skeletal and cardiac muscle samples were analysed by multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The combined treatment had similar outcomes to BZ6.25; BZ100 was the most effective treatment, but it failed to reach parasite clearance and produced greater histological alterations. Non-treated mice and the ones treated with monotherapies showed both DTUs while BZ6.25 + CLO1.25 treated mice showed only TcVI parasites in all the tissues studied. These findings suggest that the treatment may modify the distribution of infecting DTUs in host tissues. Coinfection with T. cruzi clones belonging to different DTUs reveals a complex scenario for the treatment of Chagas disease and search for new therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Strauss
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA) UNC-CONICET, Centro de Estudios e Investigación de la Enfermedad de Chagas y Leishmaniasis, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Santa Rosa 1085, X5000ESU-Córdoba, Argentina
| | - M. Silvina Lo Presti
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA) UNC-CONICET, Centro de Estudios e Investigación de la Enfermedad de Chagas y Leishmaniasis, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Santa Rosa 1085, X5000ESU-Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Juan C. Ramírez
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular de la Enfermedad de Chagas (LaBMECh), Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular “Dr. Héctor N. Torres” (INGEBI-CONICET), Vuelta de Obligado 2490, C1428ADN Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - P. Carolina Bazán
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA) UNC-CONICET, Centro de Estudios e Investigación de la Enfermedad de Chagas y Leishmaniasis, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Santa Rosa 1085, X5000ESU-Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Daniela A. Velázquez López
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA) UNC-CONICET, Centro de Estudios e Investigación de la Enfermedad de Chagas y Leishmaniasis, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Santa Rosa 1085, X5000ESU-Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Alejandra L. Báez
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA) UNC-CONICET, Centro de Estudios e Investigación de la Enfermedad de Chagas y Leishmaniasis, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Santa Rosa 1085, X5000ESU-Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Patricia A. Paglini
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA) UNC-CONICET, Centro de Estudios e Investigación de la Enfermedad de Chagas y Leishmaniasis, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Santa Rosa 1085, X5000ESU-Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Alejandro G. Schijman
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular de la Enfermedad de Chagas (LaBMECh), Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular “Dr. Héctor N. Torres” (INGEBI-CONICET), Vuelta de Obligado 2490, C1428ADN Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Héctor W. Rivarola
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (INICSA) UNC-CONICET, Centro de Estudios e Investigación de la Enfermedad de Chagas y Leishmaniasis, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Santa Rosa 1085, X5000ESU-Córdoba, Argentina
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3
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Gonçalves MD, Bortoleti BTDS, Tomiotto-Pellissier F, Concato VM, de Matos RLN, Silva TF, Rodrigues ACJ, Carloto ACM, Costa IN, Lazarin-Bidóia D, Miranda-Sapla MM, Pavanelli WR, Arakawa NS, Conchon-Costa I. Grandiflorenic acid isolated from Sphagneticola trilobata against Trypanosoma cruzi: Toxicity, mechanisms of action and immunomodulation. Toxicol In Vitro 2021; 78:105267. [PMID: 34688839 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2021.105267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Grandiflorenic acid (GFA) is one of the main kaurane diterpenes found in different parts of Sphagneticola trilobata. It has several biological activities, especially antiprotozoal action. In turn, Chagas disease is a complex systemic disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, and the drugs available to treat it involve significant side effects and impose an urgent need to search for therapeutic alternatives. In this context, our goal was to determine the effect of GFA on trypomastigote and intracellular amastigote forms. Our results showed that GFA treatment led to significantly less viability of trypomastigote forms, with morphological and ultrastructural changes in the parasites treated with IC50 of GFA (24.60 nM), and larger levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial depolarization, lipid droplets accumulation, presence of autophagic vacuoles, phosphatidylserine exposure, and plasma membrane damage. In addition, the GFA treatment was able to reduce the percentage of infected cells and the number of amastigotes per macrophage (J774A.1) without showing cytotoxicity in mammalian cell lines (J774A.1, LLCMK2, THP-1, AMJ2-C11), in addition to increasing TNF-α and reducing IL-6 levels in infected macrophages. In conclusion, the GFA treatment exerted influence on trypomastigote forms through an apoptosis-like mechanism and by eliminating intracellular parasites via TNF-α/ROS pathway, without generating cellular cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bruna Taciane da Silva Bortoleti
- Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, PR, Brazil; Biosciences and Biotechnology Postgraduate Program, Carlos Chagas Institute, ICC/Fiocruz/PR, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Tomiotto-Pellissier
- Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, PR, Brazil; Biosciences and Biotechnology Postgraduate Program, Carlos Chagas Institute, ICC/Fiocruz/PR, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Virginia Marcia Concato
- Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | | | - Taylon Felipe Silva
- Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Jacob Rodrigues
- Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, PR, Brazil; Biosciences and Biotechnology Postgraduate Program, Carlos Chagas Institute, ICC/Fiocruz/PR, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | | | - Idessania Nazareth Costa
- Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Danielle Lazarin-Bidóia
- Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | | | - Wander Rogério Pavanelli
- Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Nilton Syogo Arakawa
- Department of Chemical, Center of Exact Sciences, State University of Londrina, PR, Brazil
| | - Ivete Conchon-Costa
- Department of Pathological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, PR, Brazil
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Mazzeti AL, Capelari-Oliveira P, Bahia MT, Mosqueira VCF. Review on Experimental Treatment Strategies Against Trypanosoma cruzi. J Exp Pharmacol 2021; 13:409-432. [PMID: 33833592 PMCID: PMC8020333 DOI: 10.2147/jep.s267378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. Currently, only nitroheterocyclic nifurtimox (NFX) and benznidazole (BNZ) are available for the treatment of Chagas disease, with limitations such as variable efficacy, long treatment regimens and toxicity. Different strategies have been used to discover new active molecules for the treatment of Chagas disease. Target-based and phenotypic screening led to thousands of compounds with anti-T. cruzi activity, notably the nitroheterocyclic compounds, fexinidazole and its metabolites. In addition, drug repurposing, drug combinations, re-dosing regimens and the development of new formulations have been evaluated. The CYP51 antifungal azoles, as posaconazole, ravuconazole and its prodrug fosravuconazole presented promising results in experimental Chagas disease. Drug combinations of nitroheterocyclic and azoles were able to induce cure in murine infection. New treatment schemes using BNZ showed efficacy in the experimental chronic stage, including against dormant forms of T. cruzi. And finally, sesquiterpene lactone formulated in nanocarriers displayed outstanding efficacy against different strains of T. cruzi, susceptible or resistant to BNZ, the reference drug. These pre-clinical results are encouraging and provide interesting evidence to improve the treatment of patients with Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Lia Mazzeti
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento Galênico e Nanotecnologia, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil.,Laboratório de Biologia Celular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21040-360, Brazil.,Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Escola de Medicina & Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Patricia Capelari-Oliveira
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento Galênico e Nanotecnologia, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Maria Terezinha Bahia
- Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Escola de Medicina & Núcleo de Pesquisas em Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Carla Furtado Mosqueira
- Laboratório de Desenvolvimento Galênico e Nanotecnologia, Escola de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil
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5
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Zuma AA, de Souza W. Chagas Disease Chemotherapy: What Do We Know So Far? Curr Pharm Des 2021; 27:3963-3995. [PMID: 33593251 DOI: 10.2174/1381612827666210216152654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Chagas disease is a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD), and although endemic in Latin America, affects around 6-7 million people infected worldwide. The treatment of Chagas disease is based on benznidazole and nifurtimox, which are the only available drugs. However, they are not effective during the chronic phase and cause several side effects. Furthermore, BZ promotes cure in 80% of the patients in the acute phase, but the cure rate drops to 20% in adults in the chronic phase of the disease. In this review, we present several studies published in the last six years, which describes the antiparasitic potential of distinct drugs, from the synthesis of new compounds aiming to target the parasite, as well as the repositioning and the combination of drugs. We highlight several compounds for having shown results that are equivalent or superior to BZ, which means that they should be further studied, either in vitro or in vivo. Furthermore, we stand out the differences in the effects of BZ on the same strain of T. cruzi, which might be related to methodological differences such as parasite and cell ratios, host cell type and the time of adding the drug. In addition, we discuss the wide variety of strains and also the cell types used as a host cell, which makes it difficult to compare the trypanocidal effect of the compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Araujo Zuma
- Laboratorio de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, 21491-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brazil
| | - Wanderley de Souza
- Laboratorio de Ultraestrutura Celular Hertha Meyer, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, 21491-590, Rio de Janeiro, RJ. Brazil
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Veas R, Rojas-Pirela M, Castillo C, Olea-Azar C, Moncada M, Ulloa P, Rojas V, Kemmerling U. Microalgae extracts: Potential anti-Trypanosoma cruzi agents? Biomed Pharmacother 2020; 127:110178. [PMID: 32371317 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasiteTrypanosoma cruzi, has no effective treatment available. On the other hand, microalgae are aquatic organisms that constitute an interesting reservoir of biologically active metabolites. Moreover, some species of green and red algae present anti-protozoan activity. Our aim was to study the antiparasitic effects of aqueous, methanolic and ethanolic extracts from different microalgae. METHODS AND RESULTS Our results show that the methanolic extracts of S. obliquus and T. suecica as well as the ethanolic extracts of C. reinhardtii and T. suecica present trypanocidal activity on the infective extracellular trypomastigotes and intracellular amastigotes. In addition, the ethanolic extract of C. reinhardtii potentiates the activity of the conventional antichagasic drug nifurtimox. In order to identify some potential compounds with trypanocidal activity, we performed a phytochemical screening analyzing the presence of phenolic compounds, pigments and terpenoids. CONCLUSION The different microalgae extracts, particularly the ethanolic extract ofC. reinhardtii, are promising potential candidates for the development of future natural antichagasic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhonda Veas
- Instituto de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2373223, Chile; Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile 8380453, Chile
| | - Maura Rojas-Pirela
- Instituto de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2373223, Chile
| | - Christian Castillo
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile 8380453, Chile
| | - Claudio Olea-Azar
- Departamento de Química Analítica e Inorgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile 8380494, Chile
| | - Mauricio Moncada
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile 8380453, Chile; Departamento de Química Analítica e Inorgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile 8380494, Chile
| | - Pablo Ulloa
- Instituto de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2373223, Chile; Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIA-La Platina, Santiago de Chile 8831314, Chile
| | - Verónica Rojas
- Instituto de Biología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2373223, Chile.
| | - Ulrike Kemmerling
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile 8380453, Chile.
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Ribeiro V, Dias N, Paiva T, Hagström-Bex L, Nitz N, Pratesi R, Hecht M. Current trends in the pharmacological management of Chagas disease. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2020; 12:7-17. [PMID: 31862616 PMCID: PMC6928327 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2019.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Chagas disease (CD) is a tropical neglected illness, affecting mainly populations of low socioeconomic status in Latin America. An estimated 6 to 8 million people worldwide are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of CD. Despite being one of the main global health problems, this disease continues without effective treatment during the chronic phase of the infection. The limitation of therapeutic strategies has been one of the biggest challenges on the fight against CD. Nifurtimox and benznidazole, developed in the 1970s, are still the only commercial options with established efficacy on CD. However, the efficacy of these drugs have a proven efficacy only during early infection and the benefits in the chronic phase are questionable. Consequently, there is a growing need for new pharmacological alternatives, either by optimization of existing drugs or by the formulation of new compounds. In the present study, a literature review of the currently adopted therapy, its concomitant combination with other drugs, and potential future treatments for CD was performed, considering articles published from 2012. The revised articles were selected according to the protocol of treatment: evaluation of drug association, drug repositioning and research of new drugs. As a result of the present revision, it was possible to conclude that the use of benznidazole in combination with other compounds showed better results when compared with its use as a single therapy. The search of new drugs has been the strategy most used in pursuing more effective forms of treatment for CD. However, studies have still focused on basic research, that is, they are still in a pre-clinical stage, using methodologies based on in vitro or in animal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Ribeiro
- Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Biosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil.
| | - Nayra Dias
- Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Biosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil.
| | - Taís Paiva
- Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Biosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil.
| | - Luciana Hagström-Bex
- Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Biosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil.
| | - Nadjar Nitz
- Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Biosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil.
| | - Riccardo Pratesi
- Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Biosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil.
| | - Mariana Hecht
- Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Biosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Federal District, Brazil.
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8
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Reigada C, Sayé M, Phanstiel O, Valera-Vera E, Miranda MR, Pereira CA. Identification of Trypanosoma cruzi Polyamine Transport Inhibitors by Computational Drug Repurposing. Front Med (Lausanne) 2019; 6:256. [PMID: 31781568 PMCID: PMC6857147 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2019.00256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of Chagas disease, a parasitic infection endemic in Latin America. In T. cruzi the transport of polyamines is essential because this organism is unable to synthesize these compounds de novo. Therefore, the uptake of polyamines from the extracellular medium is critical for survival of the parasite. The anthracene-putrescine conjugate Ant4 was first designed as a polyamine transport probe in cancer cells. Ant4 was also found to inhibit the polyamine transport system and produced a strong trypanocidal effect in T. cruzi. Considering that Ant4 is not currently approved by the FDA, in this work we performed computer simulations to find trypanocidal drugs approved for use in humans that have structures and activities similar to Ant4. Through a similarity ligand-based virtual screening using Ant4 as reference molecule, four possible inhibitors of polyamine transport were found. Three of them, promazine, chlorpromazine, and clomipramine, showed to be effective inhibitors of putrescine uptake, and also revealed a high trypanocidal activity against T. cruzi amastigotes (IC50 values of 3.8, 1.9, and 2.9 μM, respectively) and trypomastigotes (IC50 values of 3.4, 2.7, and 1.3 μM, respectively) while in epimastigotes the IC50 were significantly higher (34.7, 41.4, and 39.7 μM, respectively). Finally, molecular docking simulations suggest that the interactions between the T. cruzi polyamine transporter TcPAT12 and all the identified inhibitors occur in the same region of the protein. However, this location is different from the site occupied by the natural substrates. The value of this effort is that repurposing known drugs in the treatment of other pathologies, especially neglected diseases such as Chagas disease, significantly decreases the time and economic cost of implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantal Reigada
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas A. Lanari, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Laboratorio de Parasitología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas (IDIM), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Melisa Sayé
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas A. Lanari, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Laboratorio de Parasitología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas (IDIM), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Otto Phanstiel
- Department of Medical Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, United States
| | - Edward Valera-Vera
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas A. Lanari, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Laboratorio de Parasitología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas (IDIM), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariana R Miranda
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas A. Lanari, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Laboratorio de Parasitología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas (IDIM), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Claudio A Pereira
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas A. Lanari, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Laboratorio de Parasitología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas (IDIM), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Santos Souza HF, Rocha SC, Damasceno FS, Rapado LN, Pral EMF, Marinho CRF, Silber AM. The effect of memantine, an antagonist of the NMDA glutamate receptor, in in vitro and in vivo infections by Trypanosoma cruzi. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007226. [PMID: 31536489 PMCID: PMC6752752 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a neglected tropical disease that affects 5–6 million people in endemic areas of the Americas. Presently, chemotherapy relies on two compounds that were proposed as trypanocidal drugs four decades ago: nifurtimox and benznidazole. Both drugs are able to eliminate parasitemia and to avoid seroconversion in infected people when used in the acute phase; however, their use in the chronic phase (the time when the majority of cases are diagnosed) is limited due to their serious side effects. Memantine is a glutamate receptor antagonist in the central nervous system of mammals that has been used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Our group previously reported memantine as a trypanocidal drug that is able to induce apoptosis-like death in T. cruzi. In the present work, we further investigated the effects of memantine on the infection of RAW 264.7 macrophages and in vivo (in BALB/c mice). Here, we showed that memantine is able to diminish NO and Ca2+ entry in both LPS-activated and non-activated cells. These results, together with the fact that memantine was also able to reduce the infection of macrophages, led us to propose that this drug is able to activate a pro-oxidant non-NO-dependent cell defense mechanism. Finally, infected mice that were treated with memantine had diminished parasitemia, cardiac parasitic load, and inflammatory infiltrates. In addition, the treated mice had an increased survival rate. Taken together, these results indicate memantine to be a candidate drug for the treatment of Chagas disease. Chagas disease affects approximately 5 million people and is caused by the protist parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. Until now, there are no vaccines to prevent the human infection, and the therapy relies on the use of two drugs discovered more than 50 years ago, nifurtimox and benznidazole. Both drugs are efficient during the acute phase of the disease, however their efficacy in the chronic phase, when most of patients are diagnosed is controversial. In addition, both drugs are toxic, causing severe side effects during the treatment. For these reasons, new drugs against T. cruzi are urgently needed. In this work, we report a series of experiments supporting the repositioning of memantine, a drug used for treating Alzheimer´s disease, to treat the T. cruzi infection in an experimental infection model. Our data show that infected mice treated with memantine have diminished their parasitemia, cardiac parasitic load and inflammatory infiltrates and more importantly, they have diminished their mortality. Taken together, these results prompt memantine as a promising drug for treating Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Higo Fernando Santos Souza
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sandra Carla Rocha
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Flávia Silva Damasceno
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ludmila Nakamura Rapado
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Elisabeth Mieko Furusho Pral
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Claudio Romero Farias Marinho
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunoparasitology, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ariel Mariano Silber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps–LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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