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Yu SM, Zhao MM, Zheng YZ, Zhang JC, Liu ZP, Tu PF, Wang H, Wei CY, Zeng KW. Chemoproteomic Strategy Identifies PfUCHL3 as the Target of Halofuginone. Chembiochem 2024; 25:e202400269. [PMID: 38923255 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202400269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) continues to pose a significant public health challenge, leading to millions of fatalities globally. Halofuginone (HF) has shown a significant anti-P. falciparum effect, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic agent for malaria treatment. In this study, we synthesized a photoaffinity labeling probe of HF to identify its direct target in P. falciparum. Our results reveal that ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 3 (PfUCHL3) acts as a crucial target protein of HF, which modulates parasite growth in the intraerythrocytic cycle. In particular, we discovered that HF potentially forms hydrogen bonds with the Leu10, Glu11, and Arg217 sites of PfUCHL3, thereby inducing an allosteric effect by promoting the embedding of the helix 6' region on the protein surface. Furthermore, HF disrupts the expression of multiple functional proteins mediated by PfUCHL3, specifically those that play crucial roles in amino acid biosynthesis and metabolism in P. falciparum. Taken together, this study highlights PfUCHL3 as a previously undisclosed druggable target of HF, which contributes to the development of novel anti-malarial agents in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Miao Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Mei-Mei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Yong-Zhe Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Ji-Chao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Zheng-Ping Liu
- Shandong Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shandong Engineering Research Center of New Sustained and Controlled Release Formulations and Drug Targeted Delivery Systems, Jinan, 250101, China
| | - Peng-Fei Tu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Heng Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, 5# Dong Dan San Tiao, Beijing, 100005, China
| | - Chun-Yan Wei
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine Peking Union Medical College, 5# Dong Dan San Tiao, Beijing, 100005, China
| | - Ke-Wu Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
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Annamalai Subramani P, Tipthara P, Kolli SK, Nicholas J, Barnes SJ, Ogbondah MM, Kobylinski KC, Tarning J, Adams JH. Efficacy of ivermectin and its metabolites against Plasmodium falciparum liver stages in primary human hepatocytes. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024; 68:e0127223. [PMID: 38904389 PMCID: PMC11304735 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01272-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Ivermectin, a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic drug, has been proposed as a novel vector control tool to reduce malaria transmission by mass drug administration. Ivermectin and some metabolites have mosquito-lethal effect, reducing Anopheles mosquito survival. Ivermectin inhibits liver stage development in a rodent malaria model, but no inhibition was observed in a primate malaria model or in a human malaria challenge trial. In the liver, cytochrome P450 3A4 and 3A5 enzymes metabolize ivermectin, which may impact drug efficacy. Thus, understanding ivermectin metabolism and assessing this impact on Plasmodium liver stage development is critical. Using primary human hepatocytes (PHHs), we characterized ivermectin metabolism and evaluated the efficacy of ivermectin and its primary metabolites M1 (3″-O-demethyl ivermectin) and M3 (4-hydroxymethyl ivermectin) against Plasmodium falciparum liver stages. Two different modes of ivermectin exposure were evaluated: prophylactic mode (days 0-3 post-infection) and curative mode (days 3-5 post-infection). We used two different PHH donors and modes to determine the inhibitory concentration (IC50) of ivermectin, M1, M3, and the known anti-malarial drug pyrimethamine, with IC50 values ranging from 1.391 to 14.44, 9.95-23.71, 4.767-8.384, and 0.9073-5.416 µM, respectively. In our PHH model, ivermectin and metabolites M1 and M3 demonstrated inhibitory activity against P. falciparum liver stages in curative treatment mode (days 3-5) and marginal activity in prophylactic treatment mode (days 0-3). Ivermectin had improved efficacy when co-administered with ketoconazole, a specific inhibitor of cytochrome P450 3A4 enzyme. Further studies should be performed to examine ivermectin liver stage efficacy when co-administered with CYP3A4 inhibitors and anti-malarial drugs to understand the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic drug-drug interactions that enhance efficacy against human malaria parasites in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep Annamalai Subramani
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Phornpimon Tipthara
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Surendra Kumar Kolli
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Justin Nicholas
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Samantha J. Barnes
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Madison M. Ogbondah
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Kevin C. Kobylinski
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Entomology, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Joel Tarning
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - John H. Adams
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
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Sulik M, Antoszczak M, Huczyński A, Steverding D. Antiparasitic activity of ivermectin: Four decades of research into a "wonder drug". Eur J Med Chem 2023; 261:115838. [PMID: 37793327 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115838] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Parasitic diseases still pose a serious threat to human and animal health, particularly for millions of people and their livelihoods in low-income countries. Therefore, research into the development of effective antiparasitic drugs remains a priority. Ivermectin, a sixteen-membered macrocyclic lactone, exhibits a broad spectrum of antiparasitic activities, which, combined with its low toxicity, has allowed the drug to be widely used in the treatment of parasitic diseases affecting humans and animals. In addition to its licensed use against river blindness and strongyloidiasis in humans, and against roundworm and arthropod infestations in animals, ivermectin is also used "off-label" to treat many other worm-related parasitic diseases, particularly in domestic animals. In addition, several experimental studies indicate that ivermectin displays also potent activity against viruses, bacteria, protozoans, trematodes, and insects. This review article summarizes the last 40 years of research on the antiparasitic effects of ivermectin, and the use of the drug in the treatment of parasitic diseases in humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Sulik
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61‒614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Michał Antoszczak
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61‒614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Adam Huczyński
- Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61‒614, Poznań, Poland.
| | - Dietmar Steverding
- Bob Champion Research & Education Building, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
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Ekoka Mbassi D, Mombo-Ngoma G, Held J, Okwu DG, Ndzebe-Ndoumba W, Kalkman LC, Ekoka Mbassi FA, Pessanha de Carvalho L, Inoue J, Akinosho MA, Dimessa Mbadinga LB, Yovo EK, Mordmüller B, Kremsner PG, Adegnika AA, Ramharter M, Zoleko-Manego R. Efficacy and safety of ivermectin for the treatment of Plasmodium falciparum infections in asymptomatic male and female Gabonese adults - a pilot randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled single-centre phase Ib/IIa clinical trial. EBioMedicine 2023; 97:104814. [PMID: 37839134 PMCID: PMC10582777 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104814] [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: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ivermectin's mosquitocidal effect and in vitro activity against Plasmodium falciparum asexual stages are known. Its in vivo blood-schizonticidal efficacy is unknown. Ivermectin's tolerability and efficacy against P. falciparum infections in Gabonese adults were assessed. METHODS The study consisted of a multiple dose stage and a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled stage. Adults with asymptomatic P. falciparum parasitaemia (200-5000 parasites/μl) were enrolled. First, three groups of five participants received 200 μg/kg ivermectin once daily for one, two, and three days, respectively, and then 34 participants were randomized to 300 μg/kg ivermectin or placebo once daily for 3 days. Primary efficacy outcome was time to 90% parasite reduction. Primary safety outcomes were drug-related serious and severe adverse events (Trial registration: PACTR201908520097051). FINDINGS Between June 2019 and October 2020, 49 participants were enrolled. Out of the 34 randomized participants, 29 (85%) completed the trial as per protocol. No severe or serious adverse events were observed. The median time to 90% parasite reduction was 24.1 vs. 32.0 h in the ivermectin and placebo groups, respectively (HR 1.38 [95% CI 0.64 to 2.97]). INTERPRETATION Ivermectin was well tolerated in doses up to 300 μg/kg once daily for three days and asymptomatic P. falciparum asexual parasitaemia was reduced similarly with this dose of ivermectin compared to placebo. Further studies are needed to evaluate plasmodicidal effect of ivermectin at higher doses and in larger samples. FUNDING This study was funded by the Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné and the Centre for Tropical Medicine of the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothea Ekoka Mbassi
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon; Centre for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Germany
| | - Ghyslain Mombo-Ngoma
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Germany; Department of Implementation Research, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jana Held
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Dearie Glory Okwu
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon; Department of Implementation Research, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Wilfrid Ndzebe-Ndoumba
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon; Department of Implementation Research, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Franck Aurelien Ekoka Mbassi
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon; Centre for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Germany
| | | | - Juliana Inoue
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Benjamin Mordmüller
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Peter Gottfried Kremsner
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon; Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ayôla Akim Adegnika
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon; Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC), 2333 ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands; Fondation pour la Recherche Scientifique, 72 BP45, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Michael Ramharter
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon; Centre for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Germany
| | - Rella Zoleko-Manego
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon; Centre for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-Riems, Germany; Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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Yipsirimetee A, Tipthara P, Hanboonkunupakarn B, Tripura R, Lek D, Kümpornsin K, Lee MCS, Sattabongkot J, Dondorp AM, White NJ, Kobylinski KC, Tarning J, Chotivanich K. Activity of Ivermectin and Its Metabolites against Asexual Blood Stage Plasmodium falciparum and Its Interactions with Antimalarial Drugs. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0173022. [PMID: 37338381 PMCID: PMC10368210 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01730-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Ivermectin is an endectocide used widely to treat a variety of internal and external parasites. Field trials of ivermectin mass drug administration for malaria transmission control have demonstrated a reduction of Anopheles mosquito survival and human malaria incidence. Ivermectin will mostly be deployed together with artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT), the first-line treatment of falciparum malaria. It has not been well established if ivermectin has activity against asexual stage Plasmodium falciparum or if it interacts with the parasiticidal activity of other antimalarial drugs. This study evaluated antimalarial activity of ivermectin and its metabolites in artemisinin-sensitive and artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum isolates and assessed in vitro drug-drug interaction with artemisinins and its partner drugs. The concentration of ivermectin causing half of the maximum inhibitory activity (IC50) on parasite survival was 0.81 μM with no significant difference between artemisinin-sensitive and artemisinin-resistant isolates (P = 0.574). The ivermectin metabolites were 2-fold to 4-fold less active than the ivermectin parent compound (P < 0.001). Potential pharmacodynamic drug-drug interactions of ivermectin with artemisinins, ACT-partner drugs, and atovaquone were studied in vitro using mixture assays providing isobolograms and derived fractional inhibitory concentrations. There were no synergistic or antagonistic pharmacodynamic interactions when combining ivermectin and antimalarial drugs. In conclusion, ivermectin does not have clinically relevant activity against the asexual blood stages of P. falciparum. It also does not affect the in vitro antimalarial activity of artemisinins or ACT-partner drugs against asexual blood stages of P. falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achaporn Yipsirimetee
- Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Phornpimon Tipthara
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Borimas Hanboonkunupakarn
- Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Rupam Tripura
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Dysoley Lek
- National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Krittikorn Kümpornsin
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- Calibr, Division of the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Marcus C. S. Lee
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Jetsumon Sattabongkot
- Mahidol Vivax Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Arjen M. Dondorp
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas J. White
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin C. Kobylinski
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Entomology, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Joel Tarning
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Kesinee Chotivanich
- Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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da Silva Santana RC, Prudente TP, de Sousa Guerra CH, de Lima NF, de Souza Lino Junior R, Vinaud MC. Albendazole - Ivermectin combination decreases inflammation in experimental neurocysticercosis. Exp Parasitol 2023:108568. [PMID: 37327965 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2023.108568] [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: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a public health issue in endemic regions and is considered the main preventable cause of neurologic disease. It is caused by the presence of Taenia solium cysticercus in the central nervous system. The current treatment is performed with anthelminthic drugs - albendazole (ABZ) or praziquantel - associated with anti-inflammatory and corticosteroids in order to prevent the negative effects of the inflammatory reaction to the parasite's death. Ivermectin (IVM) is an anthelminthic drug that has been shown to present an anti-inflammatory effect. The aim of this study was to was to evaluate the histopathologic aspects of experimental NCC after in vivo treatment with a combination of ABZ-IVM. Balb/c mice were intracranially inoculated with T. crassiceps cysticerci and after 30 days of infection were treated with a single dose of NaCl 0.9% (control group), ABZ monotherapy (40 mg/kg), IVM monotherapy (0.2 mg/kg) or a combination of ABZ-IVM. 24h after the treatment the animals were euthanized and the brain was removed for histopathologic analysis. The IVM monotherapy and ABZ-IVM combination showed more degenerated cysticerci, less inflammatory infiltration, meningitis and hyperemia than the other groups. Therefore, it is possible to recommend the combination of albendazole and ivermectin as alternative chemotherapy for NCC due to its antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory effects, with potential to decrease the negative effects of the inflammatory burst when the parasite is killed within the CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tiago Paiva Prudente
- Medicine School, Federal University of Goias, Goiânia, Goiás, CEP: 74605-050, Brazil
| | | | - Nayana Ferreira de Lima
- Tropical Pathology and Public Health Institute, Federal University of Goias, Goiânia, Goiás, CEP: 74605-050, Brazil
| | - Ruy de Souza Lino Junior
- Tropical Pathology and Public Health Institute, Federal University of Goias, Goiânia, Goiás, CEP: 74605-050, Brazil
| | - Marina Clare Vinaud
- Tropical Pathology and Public Health Institute, Federal University of Goias, Goiânia, Goiás, CEP: 74605-050, Brazil.
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Walunj SB, Wang C, Wagstaff KM, Patankar S, Jans DA. Conservation of Importin α Function in Apicomplexans: Ivermectin and GW5074 Target Plasmodium falciparum Importin α and Inhibit Parasite Growth in Culture. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232213899. [PMID: 36430384 PMCID: PMC9695642 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232213899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Signal-dependent transport into and out of the nucleus mediated by members of the importin (IMP) superfamily of nuclear transporters is critical to the eukaryotic function and a point of therapeutic intervention with the potential to limit disease progression and pathogenic outcomes. Although the apicomplexan parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii both retain unique IMPα genes that are essential, a detailed analysis of their properties has not been performed. As a first step to validate apicomplexan IMPα as a target, we set out to compare the properties of P. falciparum and T. gondii IMPα (PfIMPα and TgIMPα, respectively) to those of mammalian IMPα, as exemplified by Mus musculus IMPα (MmIMPα). Close similarities were evident, with all three showing high-affinity binding to modular nuclear localisation signals (NLSs) from apicomplexans as well as Simian virus SV40 large tumour antigen (T-ag). PfIMPα and TgIMPα were also capable of binding to mammalian IMPβ1 (MmIMPβ1) with high affinity; strikingly, NLS binding by PfIMPα and TgIMPα could be inhibited by the mammalian IMPα targeting small molecules ivermectin and GW5074 through direct binding to PfIMPα and TgIMPα to perturb the α-helical structure. Importantly, GW5074 could be shown for the first time to resemble ivermectin in being able to limit growth of P. falciparum. The results confirm apicomplexan IMPα as a viable target for the development of therapeutics, with agents targeting it worthy of further consideration as an antimalarial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujata B. Walunj
- Molecular Parasitology Lab., Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
- Nuclear Signalling Lab., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Monash, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Chunxiao Wang
- Nuclear Signalling Lab., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Monash, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Kylie M. Wagstaff
- Nuclear Signalling Lab., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Monash, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Swati Patankar
- Molecular Parasitology Lab., Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - David A. Jans
- Nuclear Signalling Lab., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Monash, VIC 3800, Australia
- Correspondence:
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Gupta S, Vohra S, Sethi K, Gupta S, Bera BC, Kumar S, Kumar R. In vitro anti-trypanosomal effect of ivermectin on Trypanosoma evansi by targeting multiple metabolic pathways. Trop Anim Health Prod 2022; 54:240. [PMID: 35869164 PMCID: PMC9307293 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-022-03228-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
High cytotoxicity and increasing resistance reports of existing chemotherapeutic agents against T. evansi have raised the demand for novel, potent, and high therapeutic index molecules for the treatment of surra in animals. In this regard, repurposing approach of drug discovery has provided an opportunity to explore the therapeutic potential of existing drugs against new organism. With this objective, the macrocyclic lactone representative, ivermectin, has been investigated for the efficacy against T. evansi in the axenic culture medium. To elucidate the potential target of ivermectin in T. evansi, mRNA expression profile of 13 important drug target genes has been studied at 12, 24, and 48 h interval. In the in vitro growth inhibition assay, ivermectin inhibited T. evansi growth and multiplication significantly (p < 0.001) with IC50 values of 13.82 μM, indicating potent trypanocidal activity. Cytotoxicity assays on equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and Vero cell line showed that ivermectin affected the viability of cells with a half-maximal cytotoxic concentration (CC50) at 17.48 and 22.05 μM, respectively. Data generated showed there was significant down-regulation of hexokinase (p < 0.001), ESAG8 (p < 0.001), aurora kinase (p < 0.001), casein kinase 1 (p < 0.001), topoisomerase II (p < 0.001), calcium ATPase 1 (p < 0.001), ribonucleotide reductase I (p < 0.05), and ornithine decarboxylase (p < 0.01). The mRNA expression of oligopeptidase B remains refractory to the exposure of the ivermectin. The arginine kinase 1 and ribonucleotide reductase II showed up-regulation on treatment with ivermectin. The ivermectin was found to affect glycolytic pathways, ATP-dependent calcium ATPase, cellular kinases, and other pathway involved in proliferation and maintenance of internal homeostasis of T. evansi. These data imply that intervention with alternate strategies like nano-formulation, nano-carriers, and nano-delivery or identification of ivermectin homologs with low cytotoxicity and high bioavailability can be explored in the future as an alternate treatment for surra in animals.
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Fraccaroli L, Ruiz MD, Perdomo VG, Clausi AN, Balcazar DE, Larocca L, Carrillo C. Broadening the spectrum of ivermectin: Its effect on Trypanosoma cruzi and related trypanosomatids. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:885268. [PMID: 35967842 PMCID: PMC9366347 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.885268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease is an endemic American parasitosis, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. The current therapies, benznidazole (BZN) and nifurtimox (NFX), show limited efficacy and multiple side effects. Thus, there is a need to develop new trypanocidal strategies. Ivermectin (IVM) is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug with low human and veterinary toxicity with effects against T. brucei and Leishmania spp. Considering this and its relatively low cost, we evaluate IVM as a potential repurposed trypanocidal drug on T. cruzi and other trypanosomatids. We found that IVM affected, in a dose-dependent manner, the proliferation of T. cruzi epimastigotes as well as the amastigotes and trypomastigotes survival. The Selectivity Index for the amastigote stage with respect to Vero cells was 12. The IVM effect was also observed in Phytomonas jma 066 and Leishmania mexicana proliferation but not in Crithidia fasciculata. On the epimastigote stage, the IVM effect was trypanostatic at 50 μM but trypanocidal at 100 μM. The assays of the drug combinations of IVM with BNZ or NFX showed mainly additive effects among combinations. In silico studies showed that classical structures belonging to glutamate-gated Cl channels, the most common IVM target, are absent in kinetoplastids. However, we found in the studied trypanosomatid genomes one copy for putative IMPα and IMPβ, potential targets for IVM. The putative IMPα genes (with 76% similarity) showed conserved Armadillo domains but lacked the canonical IMPβ binding sequence. These results allowed us to propose a novel molecular target in T. cruzi and suggest IVM as a good candidate for drug repurposing in the Chagas disease context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Fraccaroli
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica en Trypanosoma cruzi y otros agentes infecciosos, CONICET for Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología (ICT) Milstein - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- *Correspondence: Laura Fraccaroli, ; Carolina Carrillo,
| | - María Daniela Ruiz
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica en Trypanosoma cruzi y otros agentes infecciosos, CONICET for Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología (ICT) Milstein - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Virginia Gabriela Perdomo
- Área Parasitología, Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Rosario, Argentina
| | - Agustina Nicole Clausi
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica en Trypanosoma cruzi y otros agentes infecciosos, CONICET for Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología (ICT) Milstein - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Darío Emmanuel Balcazar
- Área Parasitología, Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Rosario, Argentina
| | - Luciana Larocca
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica en Trypanosoma cruzi y otros agentes infecciosos, CONICET for Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología (ICT) Milstein - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carolina Carrillo
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica en Trypanosoma cruzi y otros agentes infecciosos, CONICET for Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología (ICT) Milstein - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- *Correspondence: Laura Fraccaroli, ; Carolina Carrillo,
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10
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Synthesis and antiplasmodial activity of regioisomers and epimers of second-generation dual acting ivermectin hybrids. Sci Rep 2022; 12:564. [PMID: 35022455 PMCID: PMC8755717 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04532-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
With its strong effect on vector-borne diseases, and insecticidal effect on mosquito vectors of malaria, inhibition of sporogonic and blood-stage development of Plasmodium falciparum, as well as in vitro and in vivo impairment of the P. berghei development inside hepatocytes, ivermectin (IVM) continues to represent an antimalarial therapeutic worthy of investigation. The in vitro activity of the first-generation IVM hybrids synthesized by appending the IVM macrolide with heterocyclic and organometallic antimalarial pharmacophores, against the blood-stage and liver-stage infections by Plasmodium parasites prompted us to design second-generation molecular hybrids of IVM. Here, a structural modification of IVM to produce novel molecular hybrids by using sub-structures of 4- and 8-aminoquinolines, the time-tested antiplasmodial agents used for treating the blood and hepatic stage of Plasmodium infections, respectively, is presented. Successful isolation of regioisomers and epimers has been demonstrated, and the evaluation of their in vitro antiplasmodial activity against both the blood stages of P. falciparum and the hepatic stages of P. berghei have been undertaken. These compounds displayed structure-dependent antiplasmodial activity, in the nM range, which was more potent than that of IVM, its aglycon or primaquine, highlighting the superiority of this hybridization strategy in designing new antiplasmodial agents.
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11
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Endo T, Takemae H, Sharma I, Furuya T. Multipurpose Drugs Active Against Both Plasmodium spp. and Microorganisms: Potential Application for New Drug Development. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:797509. [PMID: 35004357 PMCID: PMC8740689 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.797509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria, a disease caused by the protozoan parasites Plasmodium spp., is still causing serious problems in endemic regions in the world. Although the WHO recommends artemisinin combination therapies for the treatment of malaria patients, the emergence of artemisinin-resistant parasites has become a serious issue and underscores the need for the development of new antimalarial drugs. On the other hand, new and re-emergences of infectious diseases, such as the influenza pandemic, Ebola virus disease, and COVID-19, are urging the world to develop effective chemotherapeutic agents against the causative viruses, which are not achieved to the desired level yet. In this review article, we describe existing drugs which are active against both Plasmodium spp. and microorganisms including viruses, bacteria, and fungi. We also focus on the current knowledge about the mechanism of actions of these drugs. Our major aims of this article are to describe examples of drugs that kill both Plasmodium parasites and other microbes and to provide valuable information to help find new ideas for developing novel drugs, rather than merely augmenting already existing drug repurposing efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuro Endo
- Laboratory of Veterinary Infectious Diseases, Cooperative Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Takemae
- Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Research, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Indu Sharma
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hampton University, Hampton, VA, United States
| | - Tetsuya Furuya
- Laboratory of Veterinary Infectious Diseases, Cooperative Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
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12
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Pasha T, Zatorska A, Sharipov D, Rogelj B, Hortobágyi T, Hirth F. Karyopherin abnormalities in neurodegenerative proteinopathies. Brain 2021; 144:2915-2932. [PMID: 34019093 PMCID: PMC8194669 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awab201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative proteinopathies are characterized by progressive cell loss that is preceded by the mislocalization and aberrant accumulation of proteins prone to aggregation. Despite their different physiological functions, disease-related proteins like tau, α-synuclein, TAR DNA binding protein-43, fused in sarcoma and mutant huntingtin, all share low complexity regions that can mediate their liquid-liquid phase transitions. The proteins' phase transitions can range from native monomers to soluble oligomers, liquid droplets and further to irreversible, often-mislocalized aggregates that characterize the stages and severity of neurodegenerative diseases. Recent advances into the underlying pathogenic mechanisms have associated mislocalization and aberrant accumulation of disease-related proteins with defective nucleocytoplasmic transport and its mediators called karyopherins. These studies identify karyopherin abnormalities in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and synucleinopathies including Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, that range from altered expression levels to the subcellular mislocalization and aggregation of karyopherin α and β proteins. The reported findings reveal that in addition to their classical function in nuclear import and export, karyopherins can also act as chaperones by shielding aggregation-prone proteins against misfolding, accumulation and irreversible phase-transition into insoluble aggregates. Karyopherin abnormalities can, therefore, be both the cause and consequence of protein mislocalization and aggregate formation in degenerative proteinopathies. The resulting vicious feedback cycle of karyopherin pathology and proteinopathy identifies karyopherin abnormalities as a common denominator of onset and progression of neurodegenerative disease. Pharmacological targeting of karyopherins, already in clinical trials as therapeutic intervention targeting cancers such as glioblastoma and viral infections like COVID-19, may therefore represent a promising new avenue for disease-modifying treatments in neurodegenerative proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terouz Pasha
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London SE5 9RT, UK
| | - Anna Zatorska
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London SE5 9RT, UK
| | - Daulet Sharipov
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London SE5 9RT, UK
| | - Boris Rogelj
- Jozef Stefan Institute, Department of Biotechnology, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tibor Hortobágyi
- ELKH-DE Cerebrovascular and Neurodegenerative Research Group, Department of Neurology, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
- King's College London, Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Frank Hirth
- King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London SE5 9RT, UK
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13
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Singh L, Singh K. Ivermectin: A Promising Therapeutic for Fighting Malaria. Current Status and Perspective. J Med Chem 2021; 64:9711-9731. [PMID: 34242031 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c00498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Finding new chemotherapeutic interventions to treat malaria through repurposing of time-tested drugs and rigorous design of new drugs using tools of rational drug design remains one of the most sought strategies at the disposal of medicinal chemists. Ivermectin, a semisynthetic derivative of avermectin B1, is among the efficacious drugs used in mass drug administration drives employed against onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, and several other parasitic diseases in humans. In this review, we present the prowess of ivermectin, a potent endectocide, in the control of malaria through vector control to reduce parasite transmission combined with efficacious chemoprevention to reduce malaria-related fatalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lovepreet Singh
- Department of Chemistry, UGC Centre for Advanced Studies-II, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar-143 005, India
| | - Kamaljit Singh
- Department of Chemistry, UGC Centre for Advanced Studies-II, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar-143 005, India
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14
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SRPassing Co-translational Targeting: The Role of the Signal Recognition Particle in Protein Targeting and mRNA Protection. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22126284. [PMID: 34208095 PMCID: PMC8230904 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22126284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Signal recognition particle (SRP) is an RNA and protein complex that exists in all domains of life. It consists of one protein and one noncoding RNA in some bacteria. It is more complex in eukaryotes and consists of six proteins and one noncoding RNA in mammals. In the eukaryotic cytoplasm, SRP co-translationally targets proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum and prevents misfolding and aggregation of the secretory proteins in the cytoplasm. It was demonstrated recently that SRP also possesses an earlier unknown function, the protection of mRNAs of secretory proteins from degradation. In this review, we analyze the progress in studies of SRPs from different organisms, SRP biogenesis, its structure, and function in protein targeting and mRNA protection.
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15
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Soni K, Kempf G, Manalastas-Cantos K, Hendricks A, Flemming D, Guizetti J, Simon B, Frischknecht F, Svergun DI, Wild K, Sinning I. Structural analysis of the SRP Alu domain from Plasmodium falciparum reveals a non-canonical open conformation. Commun Biol 2021; 4:600. [PMID: 34017052 PMCID: PMC8137916 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02132-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The eukaryotic signal recognition particle (SRP) contains an Alu domain, which docks into the factor binding site of translating ribosomes and confers translation retardation. The canonical Alu domain consists of the SRP9/14 protein heterodimer and a tRNA-like folded Alu RNA that adopts a strictly 'closed' conformation involving a loop-loop pseudoknot. Here, we study the structure of the Alu domain from Plasmodium falciparum (PfAlu), a divergent apicomplexan protozoan that causes human malaria. Using NMR, SAXS and cryo-EM analyses, we show that, in contrast to its prokaryotic and eukaryotic counterparts, the PfAlu domain adopts an 'open' Y-shaped conformation. We show that cytoplasmic P. falciparum ribosomes are non-discriminative and recognize both the open PfAlu and closed human Alu domains with nanomolar affinity. In contrast, human ribosomes do not provide high affinity binding sites for either of the Alu domains. Our analyses extend the structural database of Alu domains to the protozoan species and reveal species-specific differences in the recognition of SRP Alu domains by ribosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Komal Soni
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Georg Kempf
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Astrid Hendricks
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dirk Flemming
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julien Guizetti
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bernd Simon
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Friedrich Frischknecht
- Integrative Parasitology, Center for Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Klemens Wild
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Irmgard Sinning
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH), Heidelberg, Germany.
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16
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Pessanha de Carvalho L, Kreidenweiss A, Held J. Drug Repurposing: A Review of Old and New Antibiotics for the Treatment of Malaria: Identifying Antibiotics with a Fast Onset of Antiplasmodial Action. Molecules 2021; 26:2304. [PMID: 33921170 PMCID: PMC8071546 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26082304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is one of the most life-threatening infectious diseases and constitutes a major health problem, especially in Africa. Although artemisinin combination therapies remain efficacious to treat malaria, the emergence of resistant parasites emphasizes the urgent need of new alternative chemotherapies. One strategy is the repurposing of existing drugs. Herein, we reviewed the antimalarial effects of marketed antibiotics, and described in detail the fast-acting antibiotics that showed activity in nanomolar concentrations. Antibiotics have been used for prophylaxis and treatment of malaria for many years and are of particular interest because they might exert a different mode of action than current antimalarials, and can be used simultaneously to treat concomitant bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lais Pessanha de Carvalho
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tuebingen, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany; (L.P.d.C.); (A.K.)
| | - Andrea Kreidenweiss
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tuebingen, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany; (L.P.d.C.); (A.K.)
- Centre de Recherches Medicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Lambaréné BP 242, Gabon
| | - Jana Held
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tuebingen, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany; (L.P.d.C.); (A.K.)
- Centre de Recherches Medicales de Lambaréné (CERMEL), Lambaréné BP 242, Gabon
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17
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Saraiva RG, Dimopoulos G. Bacterial natural products in the fight against mosquito-transmitted tropical diseases. Nat Prod Rep 2021; 37:338-354. [PMID: 31544193 DOI: 10.1039/c9np00042a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Covering: up to 2019 Secondary metabolites of microbial origin have long been acknowledged as medically relevant, but their full potential remains largely unexploited. Of the countless natural compounds discovered thus far, only 5-10% have been isolated from microorganisms. At the same time, while whole-genome sequencing has demonstrated that bacteria and fungi often encode natural products, only a few genera have yet been mined for new compounds. This review explores the contributions of bacterial natural products to combatting infection by malaria parasites, filarial worms, and arboviruses such as dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, and West Nile. It highlights how molecules isolated from microorganisms ranging from marine cyanobacteria to mosquito endosymbionts can be exploited as antimicrobials and antivirals. Pursuit of this mostly untapped source of chemical entities will potentially result in new interventions against these tropical diseases, which are urgently needed to combat the increase in the incidence of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raúl G Saraiva
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
| | - George Dimopoulos
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
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18
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Oany AR, Pervin T, Moni MA. Pharmacoinformatics based elucidation and designing of potential inhibitors against Plasmodium falciparum to target importin α/β mediated nuclear importation. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2020; 88:104699. [PMID: 33385575 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum, the prime causative agent of malaria, is responsible for 4, 05,000 deaths per year and fatality rates are higher among the children aged below 5 years. The emerging distribution of the multi-drug resistant P. falciparum becomes a worldwide concern, so the identification of unique targets and novel inhibitors is a prime need now. In the present study, we have employed pharmacoinformatics approaches to analyze 265 lead-like compounds from PubChem databases for virtual screening. Thereafter, 15 lead-like compounds were docked within the active side pocket of importin alpha. Comparative ligand properties and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) profile were also assessed. Finally, a novel inhibitor was designed and assessed computationally for its efficacy. From the comparative analysis we have found that our screened compounds possess better results than the existing lead ivermectin; having the highest binding energy of -15.6 kcal/mol, whereas ivermectin has -12.4 kcal/mol. The novel lead compound possessed more fascinating output without deviating any of the rules of Lipinski. It also possessed higher bioavailability and the drug-likeness score of 0.55 and 0.71, respectively compared to ivermectin. Furthermore, the binding study was confirmed by molecular dynamics simulation over 25 ns by evaluating the stability of the complex. Finally, all the screened compounds and the novel compound showed promising ADMET properties likewise. To end, we hope that our proposed screened compounds, as well as the novel compound, might give some advances to treat malaria efficiently in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arafat Rahman Oany
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Life Science, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Tangail, Bangladesh; Aristopharma Limited, Bangladesh.
| | - Tahmina Pervin
- Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Discipline, Life Science School, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Ali Moni
- Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Green University, Bangladesh; Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Pabna University of Science & Technology, Bangladesh; WHO Collaborating Centre on eHealth, UNSW Digital Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, Sydney, Australia.
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19
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Ivermectin: An Anthelmintic, an Insecticide, and Much More. Trends Parasitol 2020; 37:48-64. [PMID: 33189582 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Here we tell the story of ivermectin, describing its anthelmintic and insecticidal actions and recent studies that have sought to reposition ivermectin for the treatment of other diseases that are not caused by helminth and insect parasites. The standard theory of its anthelmintic and insecticidal mode of action is that it is a selective positive allosteric modulator of glutamate-gated chloride channels found in nematodes and insects. At higher concentrations, ivermectin also acts as an allosteric modulator of ion channels found in host central nervous systems. In addition, in tissue culture, at concentrations higher than anthelmintic concentrations, ivermectin shows antiviral, antimalarial, antimetabolic, and anticancer effects. Caution is required before extrapolating from these preliminary repositioning experiments to clinical use, particularly for Covid-19 treatment, because of the high concentrations of ivermectin used in tissue-culture experiments.
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20
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Repurposing Drugs to Fight Hepatic Malaria Parasites. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25153409. [PMID: 32731386 PMCID: PMC7435416 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25153409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria remains one of the most prevalent infectious diseases worldwide, primarily affecting some of the most vulnerable populations around the globe. Despite achievements in the treatment of this devastating disease, there is still an urgent need for the discovery of new drugs that tackle infection by Plasmodium parasites. However, de novo drug development is a costly and time-consuming process. An alternative strategy is to evaluate the anti-plasmodial activity of compounds that are already approved for other purposes, an approach known as drug repurposing. Here, we will review efforts to assess the anti-plasmodial activity of existing drugs, with an emphasis on the obligatory and clinically silent liver stage of infection. We will also review the current knowledge on the classes of compounds that might be therapeutically relevant against Plasmodium in the context of other communicable diseases that are prevalent in regions where malaria is endemic. Repositioning existing compounds may constitute a faster solution to the current gap of prophylactic and therapeutic drugs that act on Plasmodium parasites, overall contributing to the global effort of malaria eradication.
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21
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LaMonte GM, Rocamora F, Marapana DS, Gnädig NF, Ottilie S, Luth MR, Worgall TS, Goldgof GM, Mohunlal R, Santha Kumar TR, Thompson JK, Vigil E, Yang J, Hutson D, Johnson T, Huang J, Williams RM, Zou BY, Cheung AL, Kumar P, Egan TJ, Lee MCS, Siegel D, Cowman AF, Fidock DA, Winzeler EA. Pan-active imidazolopiperazine antimalarials target the Plasmodium falciparum intracellular secretory pathway. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1780. [PMID: 32286267 PMCID: PMC7156427 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15440-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A promising new compound class for treating human malaria is the imidazolopiperazines (IZP) class. IZP compounds KAF156 (Ganaplacide) and GNF179 are effective against Plasmodium symptomatic asexual blood-stage infections, and are able to prevent transmission and block infection in animal models. But despite the identification of resistance mechanisms in P. falciparum, the mode of action of IZPs remains unknown. To investigate, we here combine in vitro evolution and genome analysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with molecular, metabolomic, and chemogenomic methods in P. falciparum. Our findings reveal that IZP-resistant S. cerevisiae clones carry mutations in genes involved in Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)-based lipid homeostasis and autophagy. In Plasmodium, IZPs inhibit protein trafficking, block the establishment of new permeation pathways, and cause ER expansion. Our data highlight a mechanism for blocking parasite development that is distinct from those of standard compounds used to treat malaria, and demonstrate the potential of IZPs for studying ER-dependent protein processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory M LaMonte
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Frances Rocamora
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Danushka S Marapana
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Nina F Gnädig
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Sabine Ottilie
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Madeline R Luth
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Tilla S Worgall
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Gregory M Goldgof
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Roxanne Mohunlal
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa
| | - T R Santha Kumar
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Jennifer K Thompson
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Edgar Vigil
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Jennifer Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Dylan Hutson
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Trevor Johnson
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Jianbo Huang
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Roy M Williams
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Bing Yu Zou
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Andrea L Cheung
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Prianka Kumar
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Timothy J Egan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7700, South Africa
| | - Marcus C S Lee
- Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Dionicio Siegel
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Alan F Cowman
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
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Singh L, Fontinha D, Francisco D, Mendes AM, Prudêncio M, Singh K. Molecular Design and Synthesis of Ivermectin Hybrids Targeting Hepatic and Erythrocytic Stages of Plasmodium Parasites. J Med Chem 2020; 63:1750-1762. [PMID: 32011136 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Ivermectin is a powerful endectocide, which reduces the incidence of vector-borne diseases. Besides its strong insecticidal effect on mosquito vectors of the disease, ivermectin inhibits Plasmodium falciparum sporogonic and blood stage development and impairs Plasmodium berghei development inside hepatocytes, both in vitro and in vivo. Herein, we present the first report on structural modification of ivermectin to produce dual-action molecular hybrids with good structure-dependent in vitro activity against both the hepatic and erythrocytic stages of P. berghei and P. falciparum infection, suggesting inclusion of ivermectin antimalarial hybrids in malaria control strategies. The most active hybrid displayed over threefold and 10-fold higher in vitro activity than ivermectin against hepatic and blood stage infections, respectively. Although an overwhelming insecticidal effect against Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes in laboratory conditions was not noticed, in silico docking analysis supports allosteric binding to glutamate-gated chloride channels similar to ivermectin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lovepreet Singh
- Department of Chemistry , Guru Nanak Dev University , Amritsar 143 005 , India
| | - Diana Fontinha
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular , Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa , Av. Prof. Egas Moniz , Lisboa 1649-028 , Portugal
| | - Denise Francisco
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular , Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa , Av. Prof. Egas Moniz , Lisboa 1649-028 , Portugal
| | - Antonio M Mendes
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular , Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa , Av. Prof. Egas Moniz , Lisboa 1649-028 , Portugal
| | - Miguel Prudêncio
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular , Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa , Av. Prof. Egas Moniz , Lisboa 1649-028 , Portugal
| | - Kamaljit Singh
- Department of Chemistry , Guru Nanak Dev University , Amritsar 143 005 , India
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Azevedo R, Mendes AM, Prudêncio M. Inhibition of Plasmodium sporogonic stages by ivermectin and other avermectins. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12:549. [PMID: 31752986 PMCID: PMC6873674 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3805-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The transmissible forms of Plasmodium parasites result from a process of sporogony that takes place inside their obligatory mosquito vector and culminates in the formation of mammalian-infective parasite forms. Ivermectin is a member of the avermectin family of endectocides, which has been proposed to inhibit malaria transmission due its insecticidal effect. However, it remains unclear whether ivermectin also exerts a direct action on the parasite’s blood and transmission stages. Methods We employed a rodent model of infection to assess the impact of ivermectin treatment on P. berghei asexual and sexual blood forms in vivo. We then made use of a newly established luminescence-based methodology to evaluate the activity of ivermectin and other avermectins against the sporogonic stages of P. berghei parasites in vitro independent of their role on mosquito physiology. Results Our results show that whereas ivermectin does not affect the parasite’s parasitemia, gametocytemia or exflagellation in the mammalian host, several members of the avermectin family of compounds exert a strong inhibitory effect on the generation and development of P. berghei oocysts. Conclusions Our results shed light on the action of avermectins against Plasmodium transmission stages and highlight the potential of these compounds to help prevent the spread of malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Azevedo
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - António M Mendes
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Miguel Prudêncio
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal.
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24
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Mayol GF, Revuelta MV, Salusso A, Touz MC, Rópolo AS. Evidence of nuclear transport mechanisms in the protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2019; 1867:118566. [PMID: 31672613 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2019.118566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking of proteins is a highly regulated process that modulates multiple biological processes in eukaryotic cells. In Giardia lamblia, shuttling has been described from the cytoplasm to nuclei of proteins during the biological cell cycle of the parasite. This suggests that a mechanism of nucleocytoplasmic transport is present and functional in G. lamblia. By means of computational biology analyses, we found that there are only two genes for nuclear transport in this parasite, named Importin α and Importin β. When these transporters were overexpressed, both localized close to the nuclear envelope, and no change was observed in trophozoite growth rate. However, during the encystation process, both transporters induced an increase in the number of cysts produced. Importazole and Ivermectin, two known specific inhibitors of importins, separately influenced the encysting process by inducing an arrest in the trophozoite stage that prevents the production of cysts. This effect was more noticeable when Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug, was used. Finally, we tested whether the enzyme arginine deiminase, which shuttles from the cytoplasm to the nuclei during encystation, was influenced by these transporters. We found that treatment with each of the inhibitors abrogates arginine deiminase nuclear translocation and favors perinuclear localization. This suggests that Importin α and Importin β are key transporters during the encystation process and are involved, at least, in the transport of arginine deiminase into the nuclei. Considering the effect produced by Ivermectin during growth and encystation, we postulate that this drug could be used to treat giardiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Federico Mayol
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra, INIMEC - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - María Victoria Revuelta
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra, INIMEC - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Agostina Salusso
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra, INIMEC - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - María Carolina Touz
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra, INIMEC - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Andrea Silvana Rópolo
- Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra, INIMEC - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
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Wild K, Becker MM, Kempf G, Sinning I. Structure, dynamics and interactions of large SRP variants. Biol Chem 2019; 401:63-80. [DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2019-0282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Co-translational protein targeting to membranes relies on the signal recognition particle (SRP) system consisting of a cytosolic ribonucleoprotein complex and its membrane-associated receptor. SRP recognizes N-terminal cleavable signals or signal anchor sequences, retards translation, and delivers ribosome-nascent chain complexes (RNCs) to vacant translocation channels in the target membrane. While our mechanistic understanding is well advanced for the small bacterial systems it lags behind for the large bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic SRP variants including an Alu and an S domain. Here we describe recent advances on structural and functional insights in domain architecture, particle dynamics and interplay with RNCs and translocon and GTP-dependent regulation of co-translational protein targeting stimulated by SRP RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klemens Wild
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH) , INF 328 , D-69120 Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Matthias M.M. Becker
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH) , INF 328 , D-69120 Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Georg Kempf
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH) , INF 328 , D-69120 Heidelberg , Germany
| | - Irmgard Sinning
- Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH) , INF 328 , D-69120 Heidelberg , Germany
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Ivermectin Impairs the Development of Sexual and Asexual Stages of Plasmodium falciparum In Vitro. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019; 63:AAC.00085-19. [PMID: 31109978 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00085-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Ivermectin is the drug of choice for many parasitic infections, with more than one billion doses being distributed in onchocerciasis programs. The drug has been put into focus recently by the malaria community because of its potential to kill blood-sucking mosquitoes, thereby reducing malaria transmission. However, the activity of ivermectin against the malaria parasite itself has been only partly investigated. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro activity of ivermectin against asexual and sexual stages of Plasmodium falciparum Both asexual and late-stage gametocytes were incubated with ivermectin and control drugs in vitro The growth-inhibiting effects were assessed for asexual stages of different Plasmodium falciparum laboratory strains and culture-adapted clinical isolates using the histidine-rich protein 2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique. The effect against stage IV/V gametocytes was evaluated based on ATP quantification. Ivermectin showed activities at nanomolar concentrations against asexual stages (50% inhibitory concentration of ∼100 nM) and stage IV/V gametocytes (500 nM) of P. falciparum Stage-specific assays suggested that ivermectin arrests the parasite cycle at the trophozoite stage. Ivermectin might add a feature to its "wonder drug" properties with activity against asexual stages of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum The observed activities might be difficult to reach with current regimens but will be more relevant with future high-dose regimens under investigation. Further studies should be performed to confirm these results in vitro and in vivo.
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Batiha GES, Beshbishy AM, Tayebwa DS, Adeyemi OS, Yokoyama N, Igarashi I. Evaluation of the inhibitory effect of ivermectin on the growth of Babesia and Theileria parasites in vitro and in vivo. Trop Med Health 2019; 47:42. [PMID: 31337949 PMCID: PMC6625054 DOI: 10.1186/s41182-019-0171-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Treatment is the principle way to control and eliminate piroplasmosis. The search for new chemotherapy against Babesia and Theileria has become increasingly urgent due to parasite resistance to current drugs. Ivermectin (IVM) was the world’s first endectocide, capable of killing a wide variety of parasites and vectors, both inside and outside the body. It is currently authorized to treat onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, strongyloidiasis, and scabies. The current study documented the efficacy of IVM on the growth of Babesia and Theileria in vitro and in vivo. Methods The fluorescence-based assay was used for evaluating the inhibitory effect of IVM on four Babesia species, including B. bovis, B. bigemina, B. divergens, B. caballi, and Theileria equi, the combination with diminazene aceturate (DA), clofazimine (CF), and atovaquone (AQ) on in vitro cultures, and on the multiplication of a B. microti-infected mouse model. The cytotoxicity of compounds was tested on Madin–Darby bovine kidney (MDBK), mouse embryonic fibroblast (NIH/3 T3), and human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cell lines. Results The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values determined for IVM against B. bovis, B. bigemina, B. divergens, B. caballi, and T. equi were 53.3 ± 4.8, 98.6 ± 5.7, 30.1 ± 2.2, 43.7 ± 3.7, and 90.1 ± 8.1 μM, respectively. Toxicity assays on MDBK, NIH/3 T3, and HFF cell lines showed that IVM affected the viability of cells with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 138.9 ± 4.9, 283.8 ± 3.6, and 287.5 ± 7.6 μM, respectively. In the in vivo experiment, IVM, when administered intraperitoneally at 4 mg/kg, significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited the growth of B. microti in mice by 63%. Furthermore, combination therapies of IVM–DA, IVM–AQ, and IVM–CF at a half dose reduced the peak parasitemia of B. microti by 83.7%, 76.5%, and 74.4%, respectively. Moreover, this study confirmed the absence of B. microti DNA in groups treated with combination chemotherapy of IVM + DA and IVM + AQ 49 days after infection. Conclusions These findings suggest that IVM has the potential to be an alternative remedy for treating piroplasmosis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s41182-019-0171-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaber El-Saber Batiha
- 1National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Nishi 2-13, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555 Japan.,2Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, El Beheira 22511 Egypt
| | - Amani Magdy Beshbishy
- 1National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Nishi 2-13, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555 Japan
| | - Dickson Stuart Tayebwa
- 1National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Nishi 2-13, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555 Japan.,3Research Center for Tick and Tick-Borne Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, PO Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Oluyomi Stephen Adeyemi
- 4Medicinal Biochemistry, Nanomedicine and Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara 251101 Nigeria
| | - Naoaki Yokoyama
- 1National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Nishi 2-13, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555 Japan
| | - Ikuo Igarashi
- 1National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Nishi 2-13, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555 Japan
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Foy BD, Alout H, Seaman JA, Rao S, Magalhaes T, Wade M, Parikh S, Soma DD, Sagna AB, Fournet F, Slater HC, Bougma R, Drabo F, Diabaté A, Coulidiaty AGV, Rouamba N, Dabiré RK. Efficacy and risk of harms of repeat ivermectin mass drug administrations for control of malaria (RIMDAMAL): a cluster-randomised trial. Lancet 2019; 393:1517-1526. [PMID: 30878222 PMCID: PMC6459982 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(18)32321-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ivermectin is widely used in mass drug administrations for controlling neglected parasitic diseases, and can be lethal to malaria vectors that bite treated humans. Therefore, it could be a new tool to reduce plasmodium transmission. We tested the hypothesis that frequently repeated mass administrations of ivermectin to village residents would reduce clinical malaria episodes in children and would be well tolerated with minimal harms. METHODS We invited villages (clusters) in Burkina Faso to participate in a single-blind (outcomes assessor), parallel-assignment, two-arm, cluster-randomised trial over the 2015 rainy season. Villages were assigned (1:1) by random draw to either the intervention group or the control group. In both groups, all eligible participants who consented to the treatment and were at least 90 cm in height received single oral doses of ivermectin (150-200 μg/kg) and albendazole (400 mg), and those in the intervention group received five further doses of ivermectin alone at 3-week intervals thereafter over the 18-week treatment phase. The primary outcome was cumulative incidence of uncomplicated malaria episodes over 18 weeks (analysed on a cluster intention-to-treat basis) in an active case detection cohort of children aged 5 years or younger living in the study villages. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02509481. FINDINGS Eight villages agreed to participate, and four were randomly assigned to each group. 2712 participants (1333 [49%] males and 1379 [51%] females; median age 15 years [IQR 6-34]), including 590 children aged 5 years or younger, provided consent and were enrolled between May 22 and July 20, 2015 (except for 77 participants enrolled after these dates because of unavailability before the first mass drug administration, travel into the village during the trial, or birth), with 1447 enrolled into the intervention group and 1265 into the control group. 330 (23%) participants in the intervention group and 233 (18%) in the control group met the exclusion criteria for mass drug administration. Most children in the active case detection cohort were not treated because of height restrictions. 14 (4%) children in the intervention group and 10 (4%) in the control group were lost to follow-up. Cumulative malaria incidence was reduced in the intervention group (648 episodes among 327 children; estimated mean 2·00 episodes per child) compared with the control group (647 episodes among 263 children; 2·49 episodes per child; risk difference -0·49 [95% CI -0·79 to -0·21], p=0·0009, adjusted for sex and clustering). The risk of adverse events among all participants did not differ between groups (45 events [3%] among 1447 participants in the intervention group vs 24 events [2%] among 1265 in the control group; risk ratio 1·63 [1·01 to 2·67]; risk difference 1·21 [0·04 to 2·38], p=0·060), and no adverse reactions were reported. INTERPRETATION Frequently repeated mass administrations of ivermectin during the malaria transmission season can reduce malaria episodes among children without significantly increasing harms in the populace. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian D Foy
- Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
| | - Haoues Alout
- Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Jonathan A Seaman
- Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sangeeta Rao
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Tereza Magalhaes
- Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Martina Wade
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sunil Parikh
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Dieudonné D Soma
- Institute of Research in Health Sciences, Western Regional Direction, National Center for Scientific and Technological Research, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; International Mixed Laboratory on Vector Diseases, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - André B Sagna
- International Mixed Laboratory on Vector Diseases, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; Research Institute for Development, Infectious Diseases, and Vectors: Ecology, Genetics, Evolution and Control, National Centre for Scientific Research, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Florence Fournet
- International Mixed Laboratory on Vector Diseases, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; Research Institute for Development, Infectious Diseases, and Vectors: Ecology, Genetics, Evolution and Control, National Centre for Scientific Research, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Hannah C Slater
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Roland Bougma
- National Program for the Fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - François Drabo
- National Program for the Fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Abdoulaye Diabaté
- Institute of Research in Health Sciences, Western Regional Direction, National Center for Scientific and Technological Research, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; International Mixed Laboratory on Vector Diseases, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | | | - Nöel Rouamba
- Institute of Research in Health Sciences, Western Regional Direction, National Center for Scientific and Technological Research, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | - Roch K Dabiré
- Institute of Research in Health Sciences, Western Regional Direction, National Center for Scientific and Technological Research, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso; International Mixed Laboratory on Vector Diseases, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
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Massenet S. In vivo assembly of eukaryotic signal recognition particle: A still enigmatic process involving the SMN complex. Biochimie 2019; 164:99-104. [PMID: 30978374 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2019.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The signal recognition particle (SRP) is a universally conserved non-coding ribonucleoprotein complex that is essential for targeting transmembrane and secretory proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum. Its composition and size varied during evolution. In mammals, SRP contains one RNA molecule, 7SL RNA, and six proteins: SRP9, 14, 19, 54, 68 and 72. Despite a very good understanding of the SRP structure and of the SRP assembly in vitro, how SRP is assembled in vivo remains largely enigmatic. Here we review current knowledge on how the 7SL RNA is assembled with core proteins to form functional RNP particles in cells. SRP biogenesis is believed to take place both in the nucleolus and in the cytoplasm and to rely on the survival of motor neuron complex, whose defect leads to spinal muscular atrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Séverine Massenet
- Ingénierie Moléculaire et Physiopathologie Articulaire, UMR 7365 CNRS-University of Lorraine, Biopôle de l'Université de Lorraine, Campus Brabois-Santé, 9 avenue de la forêt de Haye, BP 20199, 54505 Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France.
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Kosyna FK, Depping R. Controlling the Gatekeeper: Therapeutic Targeting of Nuclear Transport. Cells 2018; 7:cells7110221. [PMID: 30469340 PMCID: PMC6262578 DOI: 10.3390/cells7110221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear transport receptors of the karyopherin superfamily of proteins transport macromolecules from one compartment to the other and are critical for both cell physiology and pathophysiology. The nuclear transport machinery is tightly regulated and essential to a number of key cellular processes since the spatiotemporally expression of many proteins and the nuclear transporters themselves is crucial for cellular activities. Dysregulation of the nuclear transport machinery results in localization shifts of specific cargo proteins and associates with the pathogenesis of disease states such as cancer, inflammation, viral illness and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, inhibition of the nuclear transport system has future potential for therapeutic intervention and could contribute to the elucidation of disease mechanisms. In this review, we recapitulate clue findings in the pathophysiological significance of nuclear transport processes and describe the development of nuclear transport inhibitors. Finally, clinical implications and results of the first clinical trials are discussed for the most promising nuclear transport inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friederike K Kosyna
- Institute of Physiology, Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23562 Lübeck, Germany.
| | - Reinhard Depping
- Institute of Physiology, Center for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23562 Lübeck, Germany.
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Badhan R, Zakaria Z, Olafuyi O. The Repurposing of Ivermectin for Malaria: A Prospective Pharmacokinetics-Based Virtual Clinical Trials Assessment of Dosing Regimen Options. J Pharm Sci 2018; 107:2236-2250. [DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2018.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Revised: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Sharma R, Sharma B, Gupta A, Dhar SK. Identification of a novel trafficking pathway exporting a replication protein, Orc2 to nucleus via classical secretory pathway in Plasmodium falciparum. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2018. [PMID: 29524523 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2018.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Malaria parasites use an extensive secretory pathway to traffic a number of proteins within itself and beyond. In higher eukaryotes, Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) membrane bound transcription factors such as SREBP are reported to get processed en route and migrate to nucleus under the influence of specific cues. However, a protein constitutively trafficked to the nucleus via classical secretory pathway has not been reported. Herein, we report the presence of a novel trafficking pathway in an apicomplexan, Plasmodium falciparum where a homologue of an Origin Recognition Complex 2 (Orc2) goes to the nucleus following its association with the ER. Our work highlights the unconventional role of ER in protein trafficking and reports for the first time an ORC homologue getting trafficked through such a pathway to the nucleus where it may be involved in DNA replication and other ancillary functions. Such trafficking pathways may have a profound impact on the cell biology of a malaria parasite and have significant implications in strategizing new antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Sharma
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Bhumika Sharma
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Ashish Gupta
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida 201314, India
| | - Suman Kumar Dhar
- Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India.
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Zuber JA, Takala-Harrison S. Multidrug-resistant malaria and the impact of mass drug administration. Infect Drug Resist 2018. [PMID: 29535546 PMCID: PMC5840189 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s123887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on the emergence and spread throughout the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) of multiple artemisinin-resistant lineages, the prevalence of multidrug resistance leading to high rates of artemisinin-based combination treatment failure in parts of the GMS, and the declining malaria burden in the region, the World Health Organization has recommended complete elimination of falciparum malaria from the GMS. Mass drug administration (MDA) is being piloted as one elimination intervention to be employed as part of this effort. However, concerns remain as to whether MDA might exacerbate the already prevalent problem of multidrug resistance in the region. In this review, we briefly discuss challenges of MDA, the use of MDA in the context of multidrug-resistant malaria, and the potential of different drug combinations and drug-based elimination strategies for mitigating the emergence and spread of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janie Anne Zuber
- Division of Malaria Research, Institute for Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shannon Takala-Harrison
- Division of Malaria Research, Institute for Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Promising approach to reducing Malaria transmission by ivermectin: Sporontocidal effect against Plasmodium vivax in the South American vectors Anopheles aquasalis and Anopheles darlingi. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006221. [PMID: 29444080 PMCID: PMC5828505 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Revised: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The mosquito resistance to the insecticides threatens malaria control efforts, potentially becoming a major public health issue. Alternative methods like ivermectin (IVM) administration to humans has been suggested as a possible vector control to reduce Plasmodium transmission. Anopheles aquasalis and Anopheles darlingi are competent vectors for Plasmodium vivax, and they have been responsible for various malaria outbreaks in the coast of Brazil and the Amazon Region of South America. Methods To determine the IVM susceptibility against P. vivax in An. aquasalis and An. darlingi, ivermectin were mixed in P. vivax infected blood: (1) Powdered IVM at four concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20 or 40 ng/mL). (2) Plasma (0 hours, 4 hours, 1 day, 5, 10 and 14 days) was collected from healthy volunteers after to administer a single oral dose of IVM (200 μg/kg) (3) Mosquitoes infected with P. vivax and after 4 days was provided with IVM plasma collected 4 hours post-treatment (4) P. vivax-infected patients were treated with various combinations of IVM, chloroquine, and primaquine and plasma or whole blood was collected at 4 hours. Seven days after the infective blood meal, mosquitoes were dissected to evaluate oocyst presence. Additionally, the ex vivo effects of IVM against asexual blood-stage P. vivax was evaluated. Results IVM significantly reduced the prevalence of An. aquasalis that developed oocysts in 10 to 40 ng/mL pIVM concentrations and plasma 4 hours, 1 day and 5 days. In An. darlingi to 4 hours and 1 day. The An. aquasalis mortality was expressively increased in pIVM (40ng/mL) and plasma 4 hours, 1, 5 10 and 14 days post-intake drug and in An. darlingi only to 4 hours and 1 day. The double fed meal with mIVM by the mosquitoes has a considerable impact on the proportion of infected mosquitoes for 7 days post-feeding. The oocyst infection prevalence and intensity were notably reduced when mosquitoes ingested blood from P. vivax patients that ingested IVM+CQ, PQ+CQ and IVM+PQ+CQ. P. vivax asexual development was considerably inhibited by mIVM at four-fold dilutions. Conclusion In conclusion, whole blood spiked with IVM reduced the infection rate of P. vivax in An. aquasalis and An. darlingi, and increased the mortality of mosquitoes. Plasma from healthy volunteers after IVM administration affect asexual P. vivax development. These findings support that ivermectin may be used to decrease P. vivax transmission. Malaria is one of the most important infectious diseases in the world with hundreds of millions of new cases every year. The disease is caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium where Plasmodium vivax represent most of the cases in the Americas. Current strategies to combat malaria transmission are being implemented; however, widespread insecticide resistance in vectors threatens the effectiveness of vector control programs. Ivermectin (IVM) has arisen as a new potential tool to be added to these programs as it has mosquito-lethal and sporontocidal properties making it a promising transmission reduction drug. Plasmodium vivax was drawn from patients, mixed with powdered IVM and metabolized IVM in plasma collected from healthy volunteers receiving IVM, and fed to mosquitoes via membrane feeding. Powdered and metabolized IVM interrupt P. vivax transmission, reducing oocyst infection and intensity rate of two South American malaria vectors An. aquasalis and An. darlingi. We also demonstrate the effect of IVM on asexual stages development of P. vivax, providing evidence that IVM may affect different parasite life cycle stages. Our findings place IVM as a strong candidate for malaria transmission reducing interventions.
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Abstract
As the world begins to realize the very real prospect of eliminating malaria as a public health problem globally, the scientific community is acutely aware that novel and innovative new tools will be required if that lofty goal is to be accomplished. Moreover, the need for comprehensive, integrated products and interventions is being recognized in order for the critical 'final steps' toward elimination to be taken successfully. Failure to take these crucial last steps have dogged all past global disease elimination programmes, except for smallpox. The success of ivermectin in driving two of the most devastating and disfiguring neglected tropical diseases (NTD) to the brink of elimination has been well documented. The drug also bestows immeasurable non-target benefits, increasing the health and socioeconomic prospects of all communities where mass drug administration (MDA) has been carried out. Ivermectin kills a variety of parasites and insects, including the Anopheline vectors of malaria parasites. In view of long-standing MDA programmes, increasing attention is now being paid to the potential offered by re-formulating and re-purposing ivermectin to function as a feed-though mosquitocidal tool. This will provide a comprehensively beneficial weapon, for the anti-malarial armamentarium, as well as for probably improving the impact on existing target diseases. Prospects currently look highly promising, especially as the drug is already proven to be extremely safe for human use. However, for maximum impact, detailed analysis of various analogues of the unique ivermectin, as well as the parent avermectin compounds, will need to be undertaken. 'Ivermectin' comprises an imprecise mix of two compounds, both of which are potent anthelmintics. Yet recently, it has been confirmed that only the minor of the two component compounds is molluscicidal. Further structure activity relationship studies may well identify the analogue, analogues or combination thereof best suited for use in a concerted initiative to simultaneously tackle malaria and other NTD in poly-parasitized communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Ōmura
- Graduate School of Infection Control Sciences, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
| | - Andy Crump
- Graduate School of Infection Control Sciences, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan.
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Crump A. Ivermectin: enigmatic multifaceted 'wonder' drug continues to surprise and exceed expectations. J Antibiot (Tokyo) 2017; 70:495-505. [PMID: 28196978 DOI: 10.1038/ja.2017.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decade, the global scientific community have begun to recognize the unmatched value of an extraordinary drug, ivermectin, that originates from a single microbe unearthed from soil in Japan. Work on ivermectin has seen its discoverer, Satoshi Ōmura, of Tokyo's prestigious Kitasato Institute, receive the 2014 Gairdner Global Health Award and the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which he shared with a collaborating partner in the discovery and development of the drug, William Campbell of Merck & Co. Incorporated. Today, ivermectin is continuing to surprise and excite scientists, offering more and more promise to help improve global public health by treating a diverse range of diseases, with its unexpected potential as an antibacterial, antiviral and anti-cancer agent being particularly extraordinary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Crump
- Graduate School of Infection Control Sciences, Kitasato University, Minato-Ku, Japan
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Inhibition of Plasmodium Liver Infection by Ivermectin. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2017; 61:AAC.02005-16. [PMID: 27895022 PMCID: PMC5278742 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02005-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Avermectins are powerful endectocides with an established potential to reduce the incidence of vector-borne diseases. Here, we show that several avermectins inhibit the hepatic stage of Plasmodium infection in vitro. Notably, ivermectin potently inhibits liver infection in vivo by impairing parasite development inside hepatocytes. This impairment has a clear impact on the ensuing blood stage parasitemia, reducing disease severity and enhancing host survival. Ivermectin has been proposed as a tool to control malaria transmission because of its effects on the mosquito vector. Our study extends the effect of ivermectin to the early stages of mammalian host infection and supports the inclusion of this multipurpose drug in malaria control strategies.
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Alout H, Foy BD. Ivermectin: a complimentary weapon against the spread of malaria? Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2016; 15:231-240. [PMID: 27960597 DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2017.1271713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Ivermectin has transformed the treatment of parasitic diseases and led to incommensurable benefits to humans and animals. Ivermectin is effective in treating several neglected infectious diseases and recently it has been shown to reduce malaria parasite transmission. Areas covered: Malaria control strategies could benefit from the addition of ivermectin to interrupt the transmission cycle if it is a long lasting formulation or repeatedly administered. In turn, this will help also to control neglected infectious diseases where the elimination goal has been slower to achieve. Despite the relevance of using ivermectin for integrated and sustained disease control, there are still essential questions that remain to be addressed about safety and practicality. The efficacy in various malaria ecologies and the interaction between control tools, either drugs or insecticides, are also important to assess. Expert commentary: Overlapping distribution of several infectious diseases reveals the benefit of integrating control programs against several infectious diseases into one strategy for cost effectiveness and to reach the elimination goals. The use of ivermectin to control malaria transmission will necessitate development and testing of long-lasting formulations or repeated treatments, and implementation of these treatments with other disease control tools may increase the chance of successful and sustained control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoues Alout
- a Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology & Arthropod-borne Infectious Diseases Laboratory , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
| | - Brian D Foy
- a Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology & Arthropod-borne Infectious Diseases Laboratory , Colorado State University , Fort Collins , CO , USA
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Kosyna FK, Nagel M, Kluxen L, Kraushaar K, Depping R. The importin α/β-specific inhibitor Ivermectin affects HIF-dependent hypoxia response pathways. Biol Chem 2016; 396:1357-67. [PMID: 26351913 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2015-0171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Accepted: 07/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs) regulate hundreds of genes involved in cellular adaptation to reduced oxygen availability. HIFs consist of an O2-labile α-subunit (primarily HIF-1α and HIF-2α) and a constitutive HIF-1β subunit. In normoxia the HIF-α subunit is hydroxylated by members of a family of prolyl-4-hydroxylase domain (PHD) proteins, PHD1-3, resulting in recognition by von Hippel-Lindau protein, ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. In contrast, reduced oxygen availability inhibits PHD activity resulting in HIF-1α stabilisation and nuclear accumulation. Nuclear import of HIF-1α mainly depends on classical nuclear localisation signals (NLS) and involves importin α/β heterodimers. Recently, a specific inhibitor of nuclear import has been identified that inhibits importin α/β-dependent import with no effects on a range of other nuclear transport pathways involving members of the importin protein family. In this study we evaluated the physiological activity of this importin α/β-inhibitor (Ivermectin) in the hypoxia response pathway. Treatment with Ivermectin decreases binding activity of HIF-1α to the importin α/β-heterodimer. Moreover, HIF-1α nuclear localisation, nuclear HIF-1α protein levels, HIF-target gene expression, as well as HIF-transcriptional activity are reduced upon Ivermectin treatment. For the first time, we demonstrate the effect of specific importin α/β-inhibition on the hypoxic response on the molecular level.
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Ōmura S. Ein vortreffliches Geschenk der Erde: Ursprünge und Auswirkungen der Avermectine (Nobel-Aufsatz). Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201602164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Ōmura
- Kitasato University; Kitasato Institute for Life Sciences; Minato-ku, 9-1, Shirokane 5-chome Tokyo 108-8642 Japan
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41
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Ōmura S. A Splendid Gift from the Earth: The Origins and Impact of the Avermectins (Nobel Lecture). Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2016; 55:10190-209. [PMID: 27435664 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201602164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Japanese soil was the origin of one of the most important drugs of the world: ivermectin. No other drug has such importance for the health of millions of people, particularly in the poor regions of the world. The discovery of the parent compounds of the avermectines is described first hand by S. Ōmura.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Ōmura
- Kitasato University, Kitasato Institute for Life Sciences, Minato-ku, 9-1, Shirokane 5-chome, Tokyo, 108-8642, Japan.
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42
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Rahman F, Tarique M, Tuteja R. Plasmodium falciparum Bloom homologue, a nucleocytoplasmic protein, translocates in 3' to 5' direction and is essential for parasite growth. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2016; 1864:594-608. [PMID: 26917473 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2016.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Revised: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 02/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Malaria caused by Plasmodium, particularly Plasmodium falciparum, is the most serious and widespread parasitic disease of humans. RecQ helicase family members are essential in homologous recombination-based error-free DNA repair processes in all domains of life. RecQ helicases present in each organism differ and several homologues have been identified in various multicellular organisms. These proteins are involved in various pathways of DNA metabolism by providing duplex unwinding function. Five members of RecQ family are present in Homo sapiens but P. falciparum contains only two members of this family. Here we report the detailed biochemical and functional characterization of the Bloom (Blm) homologue (PfBlm) from P. falciparum 3D7 strain. Purified PfBlm exhibits ATPase and 3' to 5' direction specific DNA helicase activity. The calculated average reaction rate of ATPase was ~13 pmol of ATP hydrolyzed/min/pmol of enzyme. The immunofluorescence assay results show that PfBlm is expressed in all the stages of intraerythrocytic development of the P. falciparum 3D7 strain. In some stages of development in addition to nucleus PfBlm also localizes in the cytoplasm. The gene disruption studies of PfBlm by dsRNA showed that it is required for the ex-vivo intraerythrocytic development of the parasite P. falciparum 3D7 strain. The dsRNA mediated inhibition of parasite growth suggests that a variety of pathways are affected resulting in curtailing of the parasite growth. This study will be helpful in unravelling the basic mechanism of DNA transaction in the malaria parasite and additionally it may provide leads to understand the parasite specific characteristics of this protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhana Rahman
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, P. O. Box 10504, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Mohammed Tarique
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, P. O. Box 10504, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Renu Tuteja
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, P. O. Box 10504, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067, India.
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Mitra P, Gupta ED, Sahar T, Pandey AK, Dangi P, Reddy KS, Chauhan VS, Gaur D. Evidence for the Nucleo-Apical Shuttling of a Beta-Catenin Like Plasmodium falciparum Armadillo Repeat Containing Protein. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0148446. [PMID: 26828945 PMCID: PMC4734682 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic Armadillo (ARM) repeat proteins are multifaceted with prominent roles in cell-cell adhesion, cytoskeletal regulation and intracellular signaling among many others. One such ARM repeat containing protein, ARM Repeats Only (ARO), has recently been demonstrated in both Toxoplasma (TgARO) and Plasmodium (PfARO) parasites to be targeted to the rhoptries during the late asexual stages. TgARO has been implicated to play an important role in rhoptry positioning i.e. directing the rhoptry towards the apical end of the parasite. Here, we report for the first time that PfARO exhibits a DNA binding property and a dynamic sub-cellular localization between the nucleus (early schizont) and rhoptry (late schizont) during the different stages of the asexual blood-stage life cycle. PfARO possesses a putative nuclear export signal (NES) and the nucleo-apical shuttling was sensitive to Leptomycin B (LMB) suggesting that the nuclear export was mediated by CRM1. Importantly, PfARO specifically bound an A-T rich DNA sequence of the P. falciparum Gyrase A (PfgyrA) gene, suggesting that the DNA binding specificity of PfARO is likely due to the AT-richness of the probe. This is a novel functional characteristic that has not been reported previously for any P. falciparum ARM containing protein and suggests a putative role for PfARO in gene regulation. This study describes for the first time a conserved P. falciparum ARM repeat protein with a high degree of functional versatility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pallabi Mitra
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Enna Dogra Gupta
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Tajali Sahar
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Alok K. Pandey
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Poonam Dangi
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - K. Sony Reddy
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | - Virander Singh Chauhan
- Malaria Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
- * E-mail: (DG); (VSC)
| | - Deepak Gaur
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vaccine Research, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
- * E-mail: (DG); (VSC)
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Chaccour CJ, Rabinovich NR, Slater H, Canavati SE, Bousema T, Lacerda M, Ter Kuile F, Drakeley C, Bassat Q, Foy BD, Kobylinski K. Establishment of the Ivermectin Research for Malaria Elimination Network: updating the research agenda. Malar J 2015; 14:243. [PMID: 26068560 PMCID: PMC4475618 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-015-0691-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The potential use of ivermectin as an additional vector control tool is receiving increased attention from the malaria elimination community, driven by the increased importance of outdoor/residual malaria transmission and the threat of insecticide resistance where vector tools have been scaled-up. This report summarizes the emerging evidence presented at a side meeting on “Ivermectin for malaria elimination: current status and future directions” at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in New Orleans on November 4, 2014. One outcome was the creation of the “Ivermectin Research for Malaria Elimination Network” whose main goal is to establish a common research agenda to generate the evidence base on whether ivermectin-based strategies should be added to the emerging arsenal to interrupt malaria transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos J Chaccour
- Department of Internal Medicine, Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. .,ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. .,Instituto de Salud Tropical, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
| | - N Regina Rabinovich
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. .,Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Hannah Slater
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Sara E Canavati
- Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
| | - Teun Bousema
- Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Marcus Lacerda
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado/FIOCRUZ, Manaus, Brazil.
| | | | - Chris Drakeley
- Malaria Centre, London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, London, UK.
| | - Quique Bassat
- ISGlobal, Barcelona Ctr. Int. Health Res. (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. .,Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique.
| | - Brian D Foy
- Department of Microbiology, Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
| | - Kevin Kobylinski
- Department of Entomology, Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand. .,Entomology Branch, Walter Reed Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
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Depping R, Jelkmann W, Kosyna FK. Nuclear-cytoplasmatic shuttling of proteins in control of cellular oxygen sensing. J Mol Med (Berl) 2015; 93:599-608. [PMID: 25809665 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-015-1276-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Revised: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In order to pass through the nuclear pore complex, proteins larger than ∼40 kDa require specific nuclear transport receptors. Defects in nuclear-cytoplasmatic transport affect fundamental processes such as development, inflammation and oxygen sensing. The transcriptional response to O2 deficiency is controlled by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs). These are heterodimeric transcription factors of each ∼100-120 kDa proteins, consisting of one out of three different O2-labile α subunits (primarily HIF-1α) and a more constitutive 1β subunit. In the presence of O2, the α subunits are hydroxylated by specific prolyl-4-hydroxylase domain proteins (PHD1, PHD2, and PHD3) and an asparaginyl hydroxylase (factor inhibiting HIF-1, FIH-1). The prolyl hydroxylation causes recognition by von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL), ubiquitination, and proteasomal degradation. The activity of the oxygen sensing machinery depends on dynamic intracellular trafficking. Nuclear import of HIF-1α and HIF-1β is mainly mediated by importins α and β (α/β). HIF-1α can shuttle between nucleus and cytoplasm, while HIF-1β is permanently inside the nucleus. pVHL is localized to both compartments. Nuclear import of PHD1 relies on a nuclear localization signal (NLS) and uses the classical import pathway involving importin α/β receptors. PHD2 shows an atypical NLS, and its nuclear import does not occur via the classical pathway. PHD2-mediated hydroxylation of HIF-1α occurs predominantly in the cell nucleus. Nuclear export of PHD2 involves a nuclear export signal (NES) in the N-terminus and depends on the export receptor chromosome region maintenance 1 (CRM1). Nuclear import of PHD3 is mediated by importin α/β receptors and depends on a non-classical NLS. Specific modification of the nuclear translocation of the three PHD isoforms could provide a promising strategy for the development of new therapeutic substances to tackle major diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinhard Depping
- Institute of Physiology, Centre for Structural and Cell Biology in Medicine, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany,
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46
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Omura S, Crump A. Ivermectin: panacea for resource-poor communities? Trends Parasitol 2014; 30:445-55. [PMID: 25130507 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2014.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2014] [Revised: 07/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/15/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The 2014 Gairdner Global Health Award was conferred for discovery of the unique microorganism that is the sole source of the endectocidal avermectins, and the Public sector/Private sector Partnership that developed innovative biopharmaceuticals with immeasurably beneficial impact on public health worldwide. Ivermectin is already labelled a 'wonder drug', essential for campaigns to eliminate two disfiguring and devastating tropical diseases. New uses for it are identified regularly, including possible antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer potential. Hundreds of millions of people are taking ivermectin to combat various diseases and afflictions, and mass administration of ivermectin in polyparasitised poor communities around the world is increasingly recognised as a mechanism to easily and cost-effectively improve overall health and quality of life for everyone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Omura
- The Kitasato Institute and Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Andy Crump
- The Kitasato Institute and Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan.
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Plasmodium falciparum UvrD activities are downregulated by DNA-interacting compounds and its dsRNA inhibits malaria parasite growth. BMC BIOCHEMISTRY 2014; 15:9. [PMID: 24707807 PMCID: PMC4234510 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2091-15-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Accepted: 03/31/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Background Human malaria parasite infection and its control is a global challenge which is responsible for ~0.65 million deaths every year globally. The emergence of drug resistant malaria parasite is another challenge to fight with malaria. Enormous efforts are being made to identify suitable drug targets in order to develop newer classes of drug. Helicases play crucial roles in DNA metabolism and have been proposed as therapeutic targets for cancer therapy as well as viral and parasitic infections. Genome wide analysis revealed that Plasmodium falciparum possesses UvrD helicase, which is absent in the human host. Results Recently the biochemical characterization of P. falciparum UvrD helicase revealed that N-terminal UvrD (PfUDN) hydrolyses ATP, translocates in 3’ to 5’ direction and interacts with MLH to modulate each other’s activity. In this follow up study, further characterization of P. falciparum UvrD helicase is presented. Here, we screened the effect of various DNA interacting compounds on the ATPase and helicase activity of PfUDN. This study resulted into the identification of daunorubicin (daunomycin), netropsin, nogalamycin, and ethidium bromide as the potential inhibitor molecules for the biochemical activities of PfUDN with IC50 values ranging from ~3.0 to ~5.0 μM. Interestingly etoposide did not inhibit the ATPase activity but considerable inhibition of unwinding activity was observed at 20 μM. Further study for analyzing the importance of PfUvrD enzyme in parasite growth revealed that PfUvrD is crucial/important for its growth ex-vivo. Conclusions As PfUvrD is absent in human hence on the basis of this study we propose PfUvrD as suitable drug target to control malaria. Some of the PfUvrD inhibitors identified in the present study can be utilized to further design novel and specific inhibitor molecules.
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