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Ahidjo N, Maidawa Yaya F, Njamnshi WY, Rissia-Ngo Pambe JC, Ndianteng EW, Nwasike CNC, Kemmo C, Choupo AC, Meka’a Zang LY, Pieme AC, Vecchio L, Ngadjui BT, Njamnshi AK, Seke Etet PF. Therapeutic potential of Garcinia kola against experimental toxoplasmosis in rats. Brain Commun 2024; 6:fcae255. [PMID: 39130514 PMCID: PMC11316209 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 08/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Cerebral toxoplasmosis, the most common opportunistic infection in immunocompromised individuals, is increasingly reported in immunocompetent individuals due to mutant strains of Toxoplasma gondii, which, furthermore, are reported to be resistant to available treatments. We assessed the therapeutic potential of Garcinia kola, a medicinal plant reported to have antiplasmodial and neuroprotective properties, against experimental toxoplasmosis in rats. Severe toxoplasmosis was induced in male Wistar rats (156.7 ± 4.1 g) by injecting them with 10 million tachyzoites in suspension in 500 µl of saline (intraperitoneal), and exclusive feeding with a low-protein diet [7% protein (weight by weight)]. Then, animals were treated with hexane, dichloromethane, and ethyl acetate fractions of Garcinia kola. Footprints were analysed and open-field and elevated plus maze ethological tests were performed when symptoms of severe disease were observed in the infected controls. After sacrifice, blood samples were processed for Giemsa staining, organs were processed for haematoxylin and eosin staining, and brains were processed for Nissl staining and cell counting. Compared with non-infected animals, the infected control animals had significantly lower body weights (30.27%↓, P = 0.001), higher body temperatures (P = 0.033) during the sacrifice, together with signs of cognitive impairment and neurologic deficits such as lower open-field arena centre entries (P < 0.001), elevated plus maze open-arm time (P = 0.029) and decreased stride lengths and step widths (P < 0.001), as well as neuronal loss in various brain areas. The ethyl acetate fraction of Garcinia kola prevented or mitigated most of these signs. Our data suggest that the ethyl acetate fraction of Garcinia kola has therapeutic potential against cerebral toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nene Ahidjo
- Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Frederic Maidawa Yaya
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Physiological Sciences and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Center for Sustainable Health and Development, University of Garoua, Garoua, Cameroon
| | - Wepnyu Y Njamnshi
- Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Judith C Rissia-Ngo Pambe
- Department of Morphological Sciences and Pathological Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Garoua, Garoua, Cameroon
| | - Ethel W Ndianteng
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Caroline N C Nwasike
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Christelle Kemmo
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Arnaud C Choupo
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory of Biochemistry, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Luc Yvan Meka’a Zang
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Anatole C Pieme
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory of Biochemistry, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Lorella Vecchio
- Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Physiological Sciences and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Center for Sustainable Health and Development, University of Garoua, Garoua, Cameroon
| | | | - Alfred K Njamnshi
- Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Paul F Seke Etet
- Brain Research Africa Initiative (BRAIN), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Physiological Sciences and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Center for Sustainable Health and Development, University of Garoua, Garoua, Cameroon
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Wang D, Liu Y, Yang B, Zhang Z, El-Ashram S, Liu X, Li B. Toxoplasma gondii surface antigen 1 (SAG1) interacts in vitro with host cell receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1). Acta Trop 2024; 251:107112. [PMID: 38157925 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107112] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) surface antigen 1 (SAG1) is crucial for tachyzoite invasion into host cells. However, the role of SAG1 in interaction with host cells remains unknown. The primary objective of this study was to analyze and validate the interaction between SAG1 and host cells. RACK1, an intracellular multifunctional protein, was identified as a SAG1 binding partner in host cells. Furthermore, the expression of RACK1 is manipulated by SAG1, and depletion of RACK1 negatively regulated host cell viability. These results imply that through interaction with RACK1, SAG1 preserves the viability of host cells to satisfy the survival needs of T. gondii. Our findings suggest a novel role for SAG1 in intracellular parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Wang
- College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Yuming Liu
- College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Baoling Yang
- College of Basic Medicine, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Zixuan Zhang
- College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China
| | - Saeed El-Ashram
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, Guangdong Province, China; Faculty of Science, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt
| | - Xiaogang Liu
- College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China.
| | - Bing Li
- College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses, Jinzhou Medical University, Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, China.
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Siahkal KR, Keshavarz H, Shojaee S, Mohebali M, Zeraati H, Azami SJ, Behkar A, Salimi M. The Therapeutic Efficacy of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Acute Toxoplasmosis in BALB/c Mice. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY 2023; 18:505-513. [PMID: 38169550 PMCID: PMC10758080 DOI: 10.18502/ijpa.v18i4.14259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Background Toxoplasma gondii infects nearly one-third of the world's population. Due to the significant side effects of current treatment options, identifying safe and effective therapies seems crucial. Nanoparticles (NPs) are new promising compounds in treating pathogenic organisms. Currently, no research has investigated the effects of zinc oxide NPs (ZnO-NPs) on Toxoplasma parasite. We aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of ZnO-NPs against tachyzoite forms of T. gondii, RH strain in BALB/c mice. Methods In an experiment with 35 female BALB/c mice infected with T. gondii tachyzoites, colloidal ZnO-NPs at concentrations of 10, 20, and 50 ppm, as well as a 50 ppm ZnO solution and a control group, were orally administered four hours after inoculation and continued daily until the mices' death. Survival rates were calculated and tachyzoite counts were evaluated in the peritoneal fluids of infected mice. Results The administration of ZnO-NPs resulted in the reduction of tachyzoite counts in infected mice compared to both the ZnO-treated and control group (P<0.001). Intervention with ZnO-NPs significantly increased the survival time compared to the control group (6.2±0.28 days, P-value <0.05), additionally, the highest dose of ZnO-NPs (50 ppm) showed the highest mice survival time (8.7±0.42 days). Conclusion ZnO-NPs were effective in decreasing the number of tachyzoites and increasing mice survival time in vivo. Moreover, there were no significant differences in survival time between the untreated control group and the group treated with zinc oxide, suggesting that, bulk ZnO is not significantly effective in comparison with ZnONPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiana Rafei Siahkal
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hossein Keshavarz
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saeedeh Shojaee
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehdi Mohebali
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hojjat Zeraati
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sanaz Jafarpour Azami
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Atefeh Behkar
- Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahboobeh Salimi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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A Metabolomic and Transcriptomic Study Revealed the Mechanisms of Lumefantrine Inhibition of Toxoplasma gondii. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24054902. [PMID: 36902335 PMCID: PMC10003460 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate protozoon that can infect all warm-blooded animals including humans. T. gondii afflicts one-third of the human population and is a detriment to the health of livestock and wildlife. Thus far, traditional drugs such as pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine used to treat T. gondii infection are inadequate as therapeutics due to relapse, long treatment period, and low efficacy in parasite clearance. Novel, efficacious drugs have not been available. Lumefantrine, as an antimalarial, is effective in killing T. gondii but has no known mechanism of action. We combined metabolomics with transcriptomics to investigate how lumefantrine inhibits T. gondii growth. We identified significant alternations in transcripts and metabolites and their associated functional pathways that are attributed to lumefantrine treatment. RH tachyzoites were used to infect Vero cells for three hours and subsequently treated with 900 ng/mL lumefantrine. Twenty-four hours post-drug treatment, we observed significant changes in transcripts associated with five DNA replication and repair pathways. Metabolomic data acquired through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) showed that lumefantrine mainly affected sugar and amino acid metabolism, especially galactose and arginine. To investigate whether lumefantrine damages T. gondii DNA, we conducted a terminal transferase assay (TUNEL). TUNEL results showed that lumefantrine significantly induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, lumefantrine effectively inhibited T. gondii growth by damaging DNA, interfering with DNA replication and repair, and altering energy and amino acid metabolisms.
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Huffman AM, Ayariga JA, Napier A, Robertson BK, Abugri DA. Inhibition of Toxoplasma gondii Growth by Dihydroquinine and Its Mechanisms of Action. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:852889. [PMID: 35646733 PMCID: PMC9131874 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.852889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite that infects the brain of humans and causes cerebral toxoplasmosis. The recommended drugs for the treatment or prophylaxis of toxoplasmosis are pyrimethamine (PY) and sulfadiazine (SZ), which have serious side effects. Other drugs available for toxoplasmosis are poorly tolerated. Dihydroquinine (DHQ) is a compound closely related to quinine-based drugs that have been shown to inhibit Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium berghei in addition to its anti-arrhythmia properties. However, little is known about the effect of DHQ in T. gondii growth and its mechanism of action in vitro. In this study, we report the anti-Toxoplasma and anti-invasion properties of DHQ. DHQ significantly inhibited T. gondii tachyzoite growth with IC50s values of 0.63, 0.67, and 0.00137 µM at 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. Under similar conditions, SZ and PY, considered as the gold standard drugs for the treatment of toxoplasmosis, had IC50s values of 1.29, 1.55, and 0.95 and 3.19, 3.52, and 2.42 µM, respectively. The rapid dose-dependent inhibition of T. gondii tachyzoites by DHQ compared to the standard drugs (SZ and PY) indicates that DHQ has high selective parasiticidal effects against tachyzoite proliferation. Remarkably, DHQ had an excellent selectivity index (SI) of 149- and 357-fold compared to 24- and 143-fold for PY and SZ, respectively, using fibroblast cells. In addition, DHQ disrupted T. gondii tachyzoite mitochondrial membrane potential and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and elicited high reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Taking all these findings together, DHQ promises to be an effective and safe lead for the treatment of toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarin M. Huffman
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL, United States
| | - Joseph A. Ayariga
- Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, United States
- Biomedical Engineering Program, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, United States
| | - Audrey Napier
- Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, United States
| | - Boakai K. Robertson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, United States
- Microbiology PhD Program, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Montgomery, AL, United States
| | - Daniel A. Abugri
- Department of Biological Sciences, Alabama State University, Montgomery, AL, United States
- Microbiology PhD Program, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Montgomery, AL, United States
- Laboratory of Ethnomedicine, Parasitology, and Drug Discovery, College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Montgomery, AL, United States
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