1
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da Silva Oliveira DD, Paz F, Brito NPF, Krüger A, Martinho ACC, Lapierre TJWJD, de Oliveira Souza F, Maltarollo VG, Kronenberger T, Mendes MS, Nonato MC, Pilau EJ, Wrenger C, Wunderlich G, Rezende Júnior CDO. Synthesis, design, and optimization of a potent and selective series of pyridylpiperazines as promising antimalarial agents. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 275:116621. [PMID: 38944935 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116621] [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: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
An optimization of the pyridylpiperazine series against Plasmodium falciparum has been performed, exploring a structure-activity relationship carried out on the toluyl fragment of hit 1, a compound with low micromolar activity against Plasmodium falciparum discovered by high-throughput screening. After confirming the crucial role played by this aryl fragment in the antiplasmodial activity, the replacement of the ortho-methyl substituent of 1 by halogenated ones led to an improvement for four analogs, either in terms of potency, expected pharmacokinetics profile, or both. Further introduction of endocyclic nitrogens in this fragment identified two more optimized compounds, 20 and 23, which are expected to be much more metabolically stable than 1. Additional assessment of the cytotoxicity, Ligand Lipophilic Efficiency, potency against the chloroquine-resistant Dd2 strain and in silico ADMET predictions revealed a satisfactory profile for most compounds, ultimately identifying the four optimized compounds 7, 9, 20 and 23 as promising compounds for further lead optimization of this series against Plasmodium falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas Davison da Silva Oliveira
- Laboratório de Síntese de Candidatos a Fármacos, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, 38400-902, Brazil
| | - Franciarli Paz
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Nícolas Peterson Ferreira Brito
- Laboratório de Síntese de Candidatos a Fármacos, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, 38400-902, Brazil
| | - Arne Krüger
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana Clara Cassiano Martinho
- Laboratório de Síntese de Candidatos a Fármacos, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, 38400-902, Brazil
| | | | - Felipe de Oliveira Souza
- Laboratório de Biomoléculas e Espectrometria de Massas (LaBioMass), State University of Maringá (UEM), Maringá, PR, 807020-900, Brazil
| | - Vinícius G Maltarollo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Products, Faculty of Pharmacy, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Thales Kronenberger
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner-site Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany; School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, 70211, Finland
| | - Marina Sena Mendes
- Laboratório de Cristalografia de Proteínas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil; Center for the Research and Advancement of Fragments and Molecular Targets, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Maria Cristina Nonato
- Laboratório de Cristalografia de Proteínas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil; Center for the Research and Advancement of Fragments and Molecular Targets, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-903, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Jorge Pilau
- Laboratório de Biomoléculas e Espectrometria de Massas (LaBioMass), State University of Maringá (UEM), Maringá, PR, 807020-900, Brazil
| | - Carsten Wrenger
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gerhard Wunderlich
- Unit for Drug Discovery, Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Celso de Oliveira Rezende Júnior
- Laboratório de Síntese de Candidatos a Fármacos, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, MG, 38400-902, Brazil.
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2
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Ranjit A, Wylie BJ. Malaria in Pregnancy, Current Challenges, and Emerging Prevention Strategies in a Warming Climate. Clin Obstet Gynecol 2024; 67:620-632. [PMID: 39061127 DOI: 10.1097/grf.0000000000000888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Malaria still presents a grave threat to the health of pregnancies worldwide with prevention currently stalling as traditional control and prevention strategies are limited by both insecticide and drug resistance. Furthermore, climate change is bringing malaria to locations where it was once eradicated and intensifying malaria in other areas. Even where malaria is not currently common, obstetricians will need to understand the pathogenesis of the disease, how it is transmitted, methods for prevention and treatment in pregnancy, and promising emerging strategies such as vaccines. A renewed global response is needed for this age-old disease in which pregnancy poses specific susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anju Ranjit
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
| | - Blair J Wylie
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
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3
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Tang WK, Salinas ND, Kolli SK, Xu S, Urusova DV, Kumar H, Jimah JR, Subramani PA, Ogbondah MM, Barnes SJ, Adams JH, Tolia NH. Multistage protective anti-CelTOS monoclonal antibodies with cross-species sterile protection against malaria. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7487. [PMID: 39209843 PMCID: PMC11362571 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51701-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 08/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
CelTOS is a malaria vaccine antigen that is conserved in Plasmodium and other apicomplexan parasites and plays a role in cell-traversal. The structural basis and mechanisms of CelTOS-induced protective immunity to parasites are unknown. Here, CelTOS-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) 7g7 and 4h12 demonstrated multistage activity, protecting against liver infection and preventing parasite transmission to mosquitoes. Both mAbs demonstrated cross-species activity with sterile protection against in vivo challenge with transgenic parasites containing either P. falciparum or P. vivax CelTOS, and with transmission reducing activity against P. falciparum. The mAbs prevented CelTOS-mediated pore formation providing insight into the protective mechanisms. X-ray crystallography and mutant-library epitope mapping revealed two distinct broadly conserved neutralizing epitopes. 7g7 bound to a parallel dimer of CelTOS, while 4h12 bound to a novel antiparallel dimer architecture. These findings inform the design of antibody therapies and vaccines and raise the prospect of a single intervention to simultaneously combat P. falciparum and P. vivax malaria.
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MESH Headings
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Animals
- Plasmodium falciparum/immunology
- Plasmodium vivax/immunology
- Malaria Vaccines/immunology
- Antibodies, Protozoan/immunology
- Mice
- Malaria, Falciparum/immunology
- Malaria, Falciparum/prevention & control
- Malaria, Falciparum/parasitology
- Crystallography, X-Ray
- Epitopes/immunology
- Malaria, Vivax/prevention & control
- Malaria, Vivax/immunology
- Malaria, Vivax/parasitology
- Antigens, Protozoan/immunology
- Humans
- Female
- Epitope Mapping
- Malaria/immunology
- Malaria/prevention & control
- Malaria/parasitology
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Protozoan Proteins/immunology
- Protozoan Proteins/chemistry
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Affiliation(s)
- Wai Kwan Tang
- Host‒Pathogen Interactions and Structural Vaccinology Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nichole D Salinas
- Host‒Pathogen Interactions and Structural Vaccinology Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Surendra Kumar Kolli
- Center of Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Shulin Xu
- Center of Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Darya V Urusova
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Hirdesh Kumar
- Host‒Pathogen Interactions and Structural Vaccinology Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John R Jimah
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Pradeep Annamalai Subramani
- Center of Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Madison M Ogbondah
- Center of Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Samantha J Barnes
- Center of Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - John H Adams
- Center of Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Niraj H Tolia
- Host‒Pathogen Interactions and Structural Vaccinology Section, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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4
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Angage D, Chmielewski J, Maddumage JC, Hesping E, Caiazzo S, Lai KH, Yeoh LM, Menassa J, Opi DH, Cairns C, Puthalakath H, Beeson JG, Kvansakul M, Boddey JA, Wilson DW, Anders RF, Foley M. A broadly cross-reactive i-body to AMA1 potently inhibits blood and liver stages of Plasmodium parasites. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7206. [PMID: 39174515 PMCID: PMC11341838 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50770-7] [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: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA1) is a conserved malarial vaccine candidate essential for the formation of tight junctions with the rhoptry neck protein (RON) complex, enabling Plasmodium parasites to invade human erythrocytes, hepatocytes, and mosquito salivary glands. Despite its critical role, extensive surface polymorphisms in AMA1 have led to strain-specific protection, limiting the success of AMA1-based interventions beyond initial clinical trials. Here, we identify an i-body, a humanised single-domain antibody-like molecule that recognises a conserved pan-species conformational epitope in AMA1 with low nanomolar affinity and inhibits the binding of the RON2 ligand to AMA1. Structural characterisation indicates that the WD34 i-body epitope spans the centre of the conserved hydrophobic cleft in AMA1, where interacting residues are highly conserved among all Plasmodium species. Furthermore, we show that WD34 inhibits merozoite invasion of erythrocytes by multiple Plasmodium species and hepatocyte invasion by P. falciparum sporozoites. Despite a short half-life in mouse serum, we demonstrate that WD34 transiently suppressed P. berghei infections in female BALB/c mice. Our work describes the first pan-species AMA1 biologic with inhibitory activity against multiple life-cycle stages of Plasmodium. With improved pharmacokinetic characteristics, WD34 could be a potential immunotherapy against multiple species of Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimuthu Angage
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Jill Chmielewski
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Janesha C Maddumage
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Eva Hesping
- Infectious Diseases & Immune Defense Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Sabrina Caiazzo
- Infectious Diseases & Immune Defense Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Keng Heng Lai
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Lee Ming Yeoh
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
- Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Joseph Menassa
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - D Herbert Opi
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
- Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
- Central Clinical School and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Callum Cairns
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Hamsa Puthalakath
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - James G Beeson
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
- Central Clinical School and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Marc Kvansakul
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Justin A Boddey
- Infectious Diseases & Immune Defense Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia
| | - Danny W Wilson
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia
- Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Robin F Anders
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, 3086, Australia
| | - Michael Foley
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Victoria, 3086, Australia.
- AdAlta, Science Drive, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia.
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5
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Lawong A, Gahalawat S, Ray S, Ho N, Han Y, Ward KE, Deng X, Chen Z, Kumar A, Xing C, Hosangadi V, Fairhurst KJ, Tashiro K, Liszczak G, Shackleford DM, Katneni K, Chen G, Saunders J, Crighton E, Casas A, Robinson JJ, Imlay LS, Zhang X, Lemoff A, Zhao Z, Angulo-Barturen I, Jiménez-Díaz MB, Wittlin S, Campbell SF, Fidock DA, Laleu B, Charman SA, Ready JM, Phillips MA. Identification of potent and reversible piperidine carboxamides that are species-selective orally active proteasome inhibitors to treat malaria. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:1503-1517.e19. [PMID: 39084225 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2024.07.001] [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: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Malaria remains a global health concern as drug resistance threatens treatment programs. We identified a piperidine carboxamide (SW042) with anti-malarial activity by phenotypic screening. Selection of SW042-resistant Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) parasites revealed point mutations in the Pf_proteasome β5 active-site (Pfβ5). A potent analog (SW584) showed efficacy in a mouse model of human malaria after oral dosing. SW584 had a low propensity to generate resistance (minimum inoculum for resistance [MIR] >109) and was synergistic with dihydroartemisinin. Pf_proteasome purification was facilitated by His8-tag introduction onto β7. Inhibition of Pfβ5 correlated with parasite killing, without inhibiting human proteasome isoforms or showing cytotoxicity. The Pf_proteasome_SW584 cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure showed that SW584 bound non-covalently distal from the catalytic threonine, in an unexplored pocket at the β5/β6/β3 subunit interface that has species differences between Pf and human proteasomes. Identification of a reversible, species selective, orally active series with low resistance propensity provides a path for drugging this essential target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aloysus Lawong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Suraksha Gahalawat
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Sneha Ray
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Nhi Ho
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yan Han
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Kurt E Ward
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Xiaoyi Deng
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Zhe Chen
- Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Ashwani Kumar
- Department of Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Chao Xing
- Department of Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Varun Hosangadi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Kate J Fairhurst
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Kyuto Tashiro
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Glen Liszczak
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - David M Shackleford
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Kasiram Katneni
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Gong Chen
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Jessica Saunders
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Elly Crighton
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Arturo Casas
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Joshua J Robinson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Leah S Imlay
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Andrew Lemoff
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Zhiyu Zhao
- Children's Medical Center Research Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Iñigo Angulo-Barturen
- The Art of Discovery, Biscay Science and Technology Park, Astrondo Bidea, BIC Bizkaia Bd 612, Derio, 48160 Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain
| | - María Belén Jiménez-Díaz
- The Art of Discovery, Biscay Science and Technology Park, Astrondo Bidea, BIC Bizkaia Bd 612, Derio, 48160 Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain
| | - Sergio Wittlin
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
| | | | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Benoît Laleu
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, 1215 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Susan A Charman
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Joseph M Ready
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
| | - Margaret A Phillips
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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6
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Dorsey MA, Dsouza K, Ranganath D, Harris JS, Lane TR, Urbina F, Ekins S. Near-Term Quantum Classification Algorithms Applied to Antimalarial Drug Discovery. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:5922-5930. [PMID: 39013438 PMCID: PMC11338495 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.4c00953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Computational approaches are widely applied in drug discovery to explore properties related to bioactivity, physiochemistry, and toxicology. Over at least the last 20 years, the exploitation of machine learning on molecular data sets has been used to understand the structure-activity relationships that exist between biomolecules and druggable targets. More recently, these methods have also seen application for phenotypic screening data for neglected diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria. Herein, we apply machine learning to build quantum Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship models from antimalarial data sets. There is a continual need for new antimalarials to address drug resistance, and the readily available in vitro data sets could be utilized with newer machine learning approaches as these develop. Furthermore, quantum machine learning is a relatively new method that uses a quantum computer to perform the calculations. First, we present a classical-quantum hybrid computational approach by building a Latent Bernoulli Autoencoder machine learning model for compressing bit-vector descriptors to a size that can be adapted to quantum computers for classification tasks with limited loss of embedded information. Second, we apply our method for feature map compression to quantum classification algorithms, including a completely novel machine learning algorithm with no analogy in classical computers: the Quantum Fourier Transform Classifier. We apply both these approaches to build quantum machine learning models for small-molecule antimalarials with quantum simulation software and then benchmark these quantum models against classical machine learning approaches. While there are many challenges currently facing the development of reliable quantum computers, our results demonstrate that there is potential for the use of this technology in the field of drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A. Dorsey
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
| | - Kelvin Dsouza
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, United States
| | - Dhruv Ranganath
- Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514, United States
| | - Joshua S. Harris
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Thomas R. Lane
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Fabio Urbina
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Sean Ekins
- Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 840 Main Campus Drive, Lab 3510, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
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7
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Valadbeigi Y, Causon T. Computational and Experimental IM-MS Determination of the Protonated Structures of Antimalarial Drugs. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2024; 35:1930-1939. [PMID: 39041666 PMCID: PMC11311536 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.4c00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
A combination of ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) measurements and computational methods were used to study structural and physicochemical properties of a range of quinoline-based drugs: amodiaquine (AQ), cinchonine (CIN), chloroquine (CQ), mefloquine (MQ), pamaquine (PQ), primaquine (PR), quinacrine (QR), quinine (QN), and sitamaquine (SQ). In experimental studies, ionization of these compounds using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) yields monoprotonated species in the gas phase while electrospray ionization (ESI) also produces diprotonated forms of AQ, CQ, and QR and also for PQ, SQ, and QN in the presence of formic acid as an additive. Comparison of the trajectory-method-calculated and experimental IM-derived collisional cross sections (CCSN2) were used to assign both the protonation sites and conformer geometry of all drugs considered with biases of 0.7-2.8% between calculated and experimental values. It was found that, in solution, AQ and QR are protonated at the ring nitrogen of the quinoline group, whereas the other drugs are protonated at the amine group of the alkyl chain. Finally, the conformers of [M + H]+ and [M + 2H]2+ assigned according to the lowest energies and CCSN2 calculations were used to calculate the pKa values of the antimalarial drugs and the relative abundance of these ions at different pH values that provided validation of the computational and experimental IM-MS results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Younes Valadbeigi
- Department
of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Imam Khomeini
International University, Qazvin 34148-96818, Iran
| | - Tim Causon
- BOKU
University, Department of Chemistry, Institute
of Analytical Chemistry, Muthgasse 18, Vienna 1190, Austria
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8
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Rahman A, Anjum S, Bhatt JD, Dixit BC, Singh A, Khan S, Fatima S, Patel TS, Hoda N. Sulfonamide based pyrimidine derivatives combating Plasmodium parasite by inhibiting falcipains-2 and falcipains-3 as antimalarial agents. RSC Adv 2024; 14:24725-24740. [PMID: 39114436 PMCID: PMC11304049 DOI: 10.1039/d4ra04370g] [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: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
In this report, we present the design and synthesis of a novel series of pyrimidine-tethered spirochromane-based sulfonamide derivatives aimed at combating drug resistance in malaria. The antimalarial effectiveness of these compounds was assessed in vitro. Structural validation of the synthesized compounds was conducted using mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Strong antimalarial activity against CQ-sensitive (3D7) and CQ-resistant (W2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum was demonstrated by the majority of the compounds. Notably, compounds SZ14 and SZ9 demonstrated particularly potent effects, with compound SZ14 showing IC50 values of 2.84 μM and SZ9 3.22 μM, indicating single-digit micromolar activity. The compounds exhibiting strong antimalarial activity were assessed through enzymatic tests against the cysteine protease enzymes of P. falciparum, falcipain-2 and falcipain-3. The results indicated that SZ14 and SZ9 inhibited PfFP-2 (IC50 values: 4.1 and 5.4 μM, respectively), and PfFP-3 (IC50 values: 4.9 and 6.3 μM, respectively). To confirm the compounds' specificity towards the parasite, we investigated their cytotoxicity against Vero cell lines, revealing strong selectivity indices and no significant cytotoxic effects. Additionally, in vitro hemolysis testing showed these compounds to be non-toxic to normal human blood cells. Moreover, predicted in silico ADME parameters and physiochemical characteristics demonstrated the drug-likeness of the synthetic compounds. These collective findings suggest that sulfonamide derivatives based on pyrimidine-tethered oxospirochromane could serve as templates for the future development of potential antimalarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdur Rahman
- Drug Design and Synthesis Lab., Department of Chemistry Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar New Delhi 110025 India +0091-11-26985507 +0091-9910200655
| | - Shazia Anjum
- Drug Design and Synthesis Lab., Department of Chemistry Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar New Delhi 110025 India +0091-11-26985507 +0091-9910200655
| | - Jaimin D Bhatt
- Chemistry Department, V. P. & R. P. T. P Science College, Affiliated to Sardar Patel University Vallabh Vidyanagar 388120 Gujarat India +91-2692-230011#31
| | - Bharat C Dixit
- Chemistry Department, V. P. & R. P. T. P Science College, Affiliated to Sardar Patel University Vallabh Vidyanagar 388120 Gujarat India +91-2692-230011#31
| | - Anju Singh
- Drug Design and Synthesis Lab., Department of Chemistry Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar New Delhi 110025 India +0091-11-26985507 +0091-9910200655
| | - Sabiha Khan
- Drug Design and Synthesis Lab., Department of Chemistry Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar New Delhi 110025 India +0091-11-26985507 +0091-9910200655
| | - Sadaf Fatima
- Drug Design and Synthesis Lab., Department of Chemistry Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar New Delhi 110025 India +0091-11-26985507 +0091-9910200655
| | - Tarosh S Patel
- Chemistry Department, V. P. & R. P. T. P Science College, Affiliated to Sardar Patel University Vallabh Vidyanagar 388120 Gujarat India +91-2692-230011#31
| | - Nasimul Hoda
- Drug Design and Synthesis Lab., Department of Chemistry Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar New Delhi 110025 India +0091-11-26985507 +0091-9910200655
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Aqilah Zahirah Norazmi N, Hafizah Mukhtar N, Ravindar L, Suhaily Saaidin A, Huda Abd Karim N, Hamizah Ali A, Kartini Agustar H, Ismail N, Yee Ling L, Ebihara M, Izzaty Hassan N. Exploring antimalarial potential: Conjugating organometallic moieties with organic fragments for enhanced efficacy. Bioorg Chem 2024; 149:107510. [PMID: 38833991 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107510] [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: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
In the search for novel ligands with efficacy against various diseases, particularly parasitic diseases, molecular hybridization of organometallic units into biologically active scaffolds has been hailed as an appealing strategy in medicinal chemistry. The conjugation to organometallic fragments can be achieved by an appropriate linker or by directly coordinating the existing drugs to a metal. The success of Ferroquine (FQ, SR97193), an effective chloroquine-ferrocene conjugate currently undergoing the patient-exploratory phase as a combination therapy with the novel triaminopyrimidine ZY-19489 for malaria, has sparked intense interest in organometallic compound drug discovery. We present the evolution of organometallic antimalarial agents over the last decade, focusing on the parent moiety's class and the type of organometallics involved. Four main organometallic antimalarial compounds have been chosen based on conjugated organic moieties: existing antimalarial drugs, other clinical drugs, hybrid drugs, and promising scaffolds of thiosemicarbazones, benzimidazoles, and chalcones, in particular. The presented insights contribute to the ongoing discourse on organometallic compound drug development for malaria diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nur Aqilah Zahirah Norazmi
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Nur Hafizah Mukhtar
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Lekkala Ravindar
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Aimi Suhaily Saaidin
- Center of Foundation Studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara, 43800 Dengkil, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Nurul Huda Abd Karim
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Amatul Hamizah Ali
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Hani Kartini Agustar
- Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Norzila Ismail
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicinal Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Lau Yee Ling
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Masahiro Ebihara
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Faculty of Engineering, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu City 501-1193, Japan
| | - Nurul Izzaty Hassan
- Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Science & Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
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10
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Bagratee T, Prawlall R, Ndlovu T, Sibisi S, Ndadane S, Shaik BB, Palkar MB, Gampa R, Karpoormath R. Exploring the Recent Pioneering Developments of Small Molecules in Antimalarial Drug Armamentarium: A Chemistry Prospective Appraisal. Chem Biodivers 2024; 21:e202400460. [PMID: 38759144 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202400460] [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: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Malaria is a very destructive and lethal parasitic disease that causes significant mortality worldwide, resulting in the loss of millions of lives annually. It is an infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes, which is caused by different species of the parasite protozoan belonging to the genus Plasmodium. The uncontrolled intake of antimalarial drugs often employed in clinical settings has resulted in the emergence of numerous strains of plasmodium that are resistant to these drugs, including multidrug-resistant strains. This resistance significantly diminishes the effectiveness of many primary drugs used in the treatment of malaria. Hence, there is an urgent need for developing unique classes of antimalarial drugs that function with distinct mechanisms of action. In this context, the design and development of hybrid compounds that combine pharmacophoric properties from different lead molecules into a single unit gives a unique perspective towards further development of malaria drugs in the next generation. In recent years, the field of medicinal chemistry has made significant efforts resulting in the discovery and synthesis of numerous small novel compounds that exhibit potent antimalarial properties, while also demonstrating reduced toxicity and desirable efficacy. In light of this, we have reviewed the progress of hybrid antimalarial agents from 2021 up to the present. This manuscript presents a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in the medicinal chemistry pertaining to small molecules, with a specific focus on their potential as antimalarial agents. As possible antimalarial drugs that might target both the dual stage and multi-stage stages of the parasite life cycle, these small hybrid molecules have been studied. This review explores a variety of physiologically active compounds that have been described in the literature in order to lay a strong foundation for the logical design and eventual identification of antimalarial drugs based on lead frameworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tameika Bagratee
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville), Durban, 4000, South Africa
| | - Ritika Prawlall
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville), Durban, 4000, South Africa
| | - Thabani Ndlovu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville), Durban, 4000, South Africa
| | - Sinqobile Sibisi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville), Durban, 4000, South Africa
| | - Sisa Ndadane
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville), Durban, 4000, South Africa
| | - Baji Baba Shaik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville), Durban, 4000, South Africa
| | - Mahesh B Palkar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville), Durban, 4000, South Africa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, SVKM's NMIMS, Shobhaben Pratapbhai Patel School of Pharmacy and Technology Management, Vile Parle (West), Mumbai, 400056, Maharashtra, India
| | - Raghavachary Gampa
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville), Durban, 4000, South Africa
| | - Rajshekhar Karpoormath
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville), Durban, 4000, South Africa
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Adams JK, Pollmanns MR, Haverkamp M, Hohlstein P, Clusmann J, Trautwein C, Abu Jhaisha S, Koch A. Atraumatic splenic rupture - unexpected consequences of a world trip. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR GASTROENTEROLOGIE 2024; 62:1216-1219. [PMID: 38917830 DOI: 10.1055/a-2213-1047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Diagnostic routine and knowledge about the therapy regimes of infectious diseases like malaria gain in importance due to globalization, global warming, and increasing numbers of refugees. We report a case of a 66-year-old patient who presented with severe abdominal pain, most prominent in the left upper abdomen. He was recently hospitalized with severe falciparum malaria, diagnosed after returning from a trip around the world. Upon readmission, laboratory results showed post-artesunate delayed hemolysis. The ultrasound examination was highly suspicious of splenic rupture, confirmed by the immediately performed CT scan. In this case, the prompt diagnosis allowed the initiation of adequate conservative therapy including intensive care monitoring and hemodynamic stabilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jule K Adams
- Medizinische Klinik III, Klinik für Gastroenterologie, Stoffwechselkrankheiten und Internistische Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Maike R Pollmanns
- Medizinische Klinik III, Klinik für Gastroenterologie, Stoffwechselkrankheiten und Internistische Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Miriam Haverkamp
- Zentralbereich für Krankenhaushygiene und Infektiologie, Universitätsklinikum Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Philipp Hohlstein
- Medizinische Klinik III, Klinik für Gastroenterologie, Stoffwechselkrankheiten und Internistische Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jan Clusmann
- Medizinische Klinik III, Klinik für Gastroenterologie, Stoffwechselkrankheiten und Internistische Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Trautwein
- Medizinische Klinik III, Klinik für Gastroenterologie, Stoffwechselkrankheiten und Internistische Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Samira Abu Jhaisha
- Medizinische Klinik III, Klinik für Gastroenterologie, Stoffwechselkrankheiten und Internistische Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Alexander Koch
- Medizinische Klinik III, Klinik für Gastroenterologie, Stoffwechselkrankheiten und Internistische Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
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12
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Naidoo K, Oliver SV. Gene drives: an alternative approach to malaria control? Gene Ther 2024:10.1038/s41434-024-00468-8. [PMID: 39039203 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-024-00468-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Genetic modification for the control of mosquitoes is frequently touted as a solution for a variety of vector-borne diseases. There has been some success using non-insecticidal methods like sterile or incompatible insect techniques to control arbovirus diseases. However, control by genetic modifications to reduce mosquito populations or create mosquitoes that are refractory to infection with pathogens are less developed. The advent of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene drives may advance this mechanism of control. In this review, use and progress of gene drives for vector control, particularly for malaria, is discussed. A brief history of population suppression and replacement gene drives in mosquitoes, rapid advancement of the field over the last decade and how genetic modification fits into the current scope of vector control are described. Mechanisms of alternative vector control by genetic modification to modulate mosquitoes' immune responses and anti-parasite effector molecules as part of a combinational strategy to combat malaria are considered. Finally, the limitations and ethics of using gene drives for mosquito control are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kubendran Naidoo
- SAMRC/Wits Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Wits Research Institute for Malaria, Faculty of Health Sciences, National Health Laboratory Service, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Shüné V Oliver
- Wits Research Institute for Malaria, Faculty of Health Sciences, National Health Laboratory Service, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Mazzone F, Klischan MKT, Greb J, Smits SHJ, Pietruszka J, Pfeffer K. Synthesis and In vitro evaluation of bichalcones as novel anti-toxoplasma agents. Front Chem 2024; 12:1406307. [PMID: 39104777 PMCID: PMC11298430 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1406307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, an apicomplexan parasite that infects approximately a third of the world's human population. This disease can cause serious complications during pregnancy and can be fatal in immunocompromised hosts. The current treatment options for toxoplasmosis face several limitations. Thus, to address the urgent medical need for the discovery of novel anti-toxoplasma potential drug candidates, our research focused on exploring a series of monomeric and dimeric chalcones, polyphenolic molecules belonging to the class of flavonoids. Chalcones 1aa-1bg and axially chiral A-A'-connected bichalcones 2aa-2bg were evaluated in vitro against the proliferation of the parasite in a cell-based assay. A comparison of the efficacy demonstrated that, in several cases, bichalcones exhibited increased bioactivity compared to their corresponding monomeric counterparts. Among these compounds, a bichalcone with a phenyl substituent and a methyl moiety 2ab showed the most potent and selective inhibitory activity in the nanomolar range. Both enantiomers of this bichalcone were synthesized using an axially chiral biphenol building block. The biaryl bond was forged using Suzuki cross-coupling in water under micellar catalysis conditions. Separation of the atropisomers of this biphenol building block was conducted by chiral HPLC on a preparative scale. The biological evaluation of the enantiomers revealed that the (R a)-enantiomer (R a)-2ab is the eutomer. These studies suggest that bichalcones may be important drug candidates for further in vivo evaluations for the discovery of anti-toxoplasma drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flaminia Mazzone
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Moritz K. T. Klischan
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Julian Greb
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Sander H. J. Smits
- Institute of Biochemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Center for Structural Studies, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jörg Pietruszka
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-1): Biotechnology, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany
| | - Klaus Pfeffer
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Habte G, Habte S, Jilo O, Alemu W, Eyasu K, Meka W, Shifera G, Gezimu W, Dugasa M, Tamiru S, Mamo M, Kelecha A. Antimalarial efficacy test of the aqueous crude leaf extract of Coriandrum sativum Linn.: an in vivo multiple model experimental study in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. BMC Complement Med Ther 2024; 24:267. [PMID: 38997693 PMCID: PMC11241778 DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04577-0] [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: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malaria continues to wreak havoc on the well-being of the community. Resistant parasites are jeopardizing the treatment. This is a wake-up call for better medications. Folk plants are the key starting point for antimalarial drug discovery. After crushing and mixing the leaves of Coriandrum sativum with water, one cup of tea is drunk daily for a duration of three to five days as a remedy for malaria by local folks in Ethiopia. Additionally, in vitro experiments conducted on the plant leaf extract elsewhere have also demonstrated the plant's malaria parasite inhibitory effect. There has been no pharmacologic research to assert this endowment in animals, though. This experiment was aimed at evaluating the antimalarial efficacy of C. sativum in Plasmodium berghei infected mice. METHODS The plant's leaf was extracted using maceration with distilled water. The extract was examined for potential acute toxicity. An evaluation of secondary phytoconstituents was done. Standard antimalarial screening models (prophylactic, chemosuppressive, curative tests) were utilized to assess the antiplasmodial effect. In each test, thirty mice were organized into groups of five. To the three categories, the test substance was given at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg/day before or after the commencement of P. berghei infection. Positive and negative control mice were provided Chloroquine and distilled water, respectively. Rectal temperature, parasitemia, body weight, survival time and packed cell volume were ultimately assessed. Analysis of the data was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. RESULTS No toxicity was manifested in mice. The extract demonstrated a significant inhibition of parasitemia (p < 0.05) in all the models. The inhibition of parasite load was highest with the upper dose in the suppressive test (82.74%) followed by the curative procedure (78.49%). Likewise, inhibition of hypothermia, weight loss hampering, improved survival and protection against hemolysis were elicited by the extract. CONCLUSIONS The results of our experimental study revealed that the aqueous crude leaf extract of C. sativum exhibits significant antimalarial efficacy in multiple in vivo models involving mice infected with P. berghei. Given this promising therapeutic attribute, in depth investigation on the plant is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Getu Habte
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Mattu University, P.O. Box 318, Mettu, Ethiopia.
| | - Sisay Habte
- Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Ambo University, P.O. Box 19, Ambo, Ethiopia
| | - Oda Jilo
- Department of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Mattu University, P.O. Box 318, Mettu, Ethiopia
| | - Wondwosen Alemu
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Kedir Eyasu
- Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering and Technology, Mattu University, P.O. Box 318, Mettu, Ethiopia
| | - Welela Meka
- Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Mattu University, P.O.Box 318, Mettu, Ethiopia
| | - Getabalew Shifera
- Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Mattu University, P.O.Box 318, Mettu, Ethiopia
| | - Wubishet Gezimu
- Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Mattu University, P.O. Box 318, Mettu, Ethiopia
| | - Milkias Dugasa
- Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Mattu University, P.O. Box 318, Mettu, Ethiopia
| | - Sanbato Tamiru
- Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Mattu University, P.O. Box 318, Mettu, Ethiopia
| | - Meta Mamo
- Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Mattu University, P.O.Box 318, Mettu, Ethiopia
| | - Abiyot Kelecha
- Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Mattu University, P.O.Box 318, Mettu, Ethiopia
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Giannangelo C, Challis MP, Siddiqui G, Edgar R, Malcolm TR, Webb CT, Drinkwater N, Vinh N, Macraild C, Counihan N, Duffy S, Wittlin S, Devine SM, Avery VM, De Koning-Ward T, Scammells P, McGowan S, Creek DJ. Chemoproteomics validates selective targeting of Plasmodium M1 alanyl aminopeptidase as an antimalarial strategy. eLife 2024; 13:RP92990. [PMID: 38976500 PMCID: PMC11230628 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92990] [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] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
New antimalarial drug candidates that act via novel mechanisms are urgently needed to combat malaria drug resistance. Here, we describe the multi-omic chemical validation of Plasmodium M1 alanyl metalloaminopeptidase as an attractive drug target using the selective inhibitor, MIPS2673. MIPS2673 demonstrated potent inhibition of recombinant Plasmodium falciparum (PfA-M1) and Plasmodium vivax (PvA-M1) M1 metalloaminopeptidases, with selectivity over other Plasmodium and human aminopeptidases, and displayed excellent in vitro antimalarial activity with no significant host cytotoxicity. Orthogonal label-free chemoproteomic methods based on thermal stability and limited proteolysis of whole parasite lysates revealed that MIPS2673 solely targets PfA-M1 in parasites, with limited proteolysis also enabling estimation of the binding site on PfA-M1 to within ~5 Å of that determined by X-ray crystallography. Finally, functional investigation by untargeted metabolomics demonstrated that MIPS2673 inhibits the key role of PfA-M1 in haemoglobin digestion. Combined, our unbiased multi-omic target deconvolution methods confirmed the on-target activity of MIPS2673, and validated selective inhibition of M1 alanyl metalloaminopeptidase as a promising antimalarial strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Giannangelo
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityParkvilleAustralia
| | - Matthew P Challis
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityParkvilleAustralia
| | - Ghizal Siddiqui
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityParkvilleAustralia
| | - Rebecca Edgar
- School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
- The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Tess R Malcolm
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash UniversityClaytonAustralia
- Centre to Impact AMR, Monash UniversityClaytonAustralia
| | - Chaille T Webb
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash UniversityClaytonAustralia
- Centre to Impact AMR, Monash UniversityClaytonAustralia
| | - Nyssa Drinkwater
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash UniversityClaytonAustralia
- Centre to Impact AMR, Monash UniversityClaytonAustralia
| | - Natalie Vinh
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityParkvilleAustralia
| | - Christopher Macraild
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityParkvilleAustralia
| | - Natalie Counihan
- School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
- The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Sandra Duffy
- Discovery Biology, Centre for Cellular Phenomics, Griffith UniversityNathanAustralia
| | - Sergio Wittlin
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health InstituteAllschwilSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Shane M Devine
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical ResearchParkvilleAustralia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of MelbourneParkvilleAustralia
| | - Vicky M Avery
- Discovery Biology, Centre for Cellular Phenomics, Griffith UniversityNathanAustralia
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith UniversityNathanAustralia
| | - Tania De Koning-Ward
- School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
- The Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation, Deakin UniversityGeelongAustralia
| | - Peter Scammells
- Medicinal Chemistry, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityParkvilleAustralia
| | - Sheena McGowan
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash UniversityClaytonAustralia
- Centre to Impact AMR, Monash UniversityClaytonAustralia
| | - Darren J Creek
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash UniversityParkvilleAustralia
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16
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Askonas C, Storm J, Camarda G, Craig A, Pain A. Transcriptional responses of brain endothelium to Plasmodium falciparum patient-derived isolates in vitro. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0072724. [PMID: 38864616 PMCID: PMC11218514 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00727-24] [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: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
A hallmark of cerebral malaria (CM) is sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IE) within the brain microvasculature. Binding of IE to endothelium reduces microvascular flow and, combined with an inflammatory response, perturbs endothelial barrier function, resulting in breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Cytoadherence leads to activation of the endothelium and alters a range of cell processes affecting signaling pathways, receptor expression, coagulation, and disruption of BBB integrity. Here, we investigated whether CM-derived parasites elicit differential effects on human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), as compared to uncomplicated malaria (UM)-derived parasites. Patient-derived IE from UM and CM clinical cases, as well as non-binding skeleton-binding protein 1 knockout parasites, were overlaid onto tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-activated HBMECs. Gene expression analysis of endothelial responses was performed using probe-based assays of a panel of genes involved in inflammation, apoptosis, endothelial barrier function, and prostacyclin synthesis pathway. We observed a significant effect on endothelial transcriptional responses in the presence of IE, yet there was no significant correlation between HBMEC responses and type of clinical syndrome (UM or CM). Furthermore, there was no correlation between HBMEC gene expression and both binding itself and level of IE binding to HBMECs, as we detected the same change in endothelial responses when employing both binding and non-binding parasites. Our results suggest that interaction of IE with endothelial cells in this co-culture model induces some endothelial responses that are independent of clinical origin and independent of the expression of the major variant antigen Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 on the IE surface. IMPORTANCE Cerebral malaria (CM) is the most prevalent and deadly complication of severe Plasmodium falciparum infection. A hallmark of this disease is sequestration of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IE) in brain microvasculature that ultimately results in breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. Here, we compared the effect of P. falciparum parasites derived from uncomplicated malaria (UM) and CM cases on the relative gene expression of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) for a panel of genes. We observed a significant effect on the endothelial transcriptional response in the presence of IE, yet there is no significant correlation between HBMEC responses and the type of clinical syndrome (UM or CM). Furthermore, there was no correlation between HBMEC gene expression and both binding itself and the level of IE binding to HBMECs. Our results suggest that interaction of IE with endothelial cells induces endothelial responses that are independent of clinical origin and not entirely driven by surface Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Askonas
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Janet Storm
- Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Grazia Camarda
- Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Alister Craig
- Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Arnab Pain
- Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, Bioscience Program, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
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17
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Nkumama IN, Ogwang R, Odera D, Musasia F, Mwai K, Nyamako L, Murungi L, Tuju J, Fürle K, Rosenkranz M, Kimathi R, Njuguna P, Hamaluba M, Kapulu MC, Frank R, Osier FHA. Breadth of Fc-mediated effector function correlates with clinical immunity following human malaria challenge. Immunity 2024; 57:1215-1224.e6. [PMID: 38788711 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.05.001] [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: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Malaria is a life-threatening disease of global health importance, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The growth inhibition assay (GIA) is routinely used to evaluate, prioritize, and quantify the efficacy of malaria blood-stage vaccine candidates but does not reliably predict either naturally acquired or vaccine-induced protection. Controlled human malaria challenge studies in semi-immune volunteers provide an unparalleled opportunity to robustly identify mechanistic correlates of protection. We leveraged this platform to undertake a head-to-head comparison of seven functional antibody assays that are relevant to immunity against the erythrocytic merozoite stage of Plasmodium falciparum. Fc-mediated effector functions were strongly associated with protection from clinical symptoms of malaria and exponential parasite multiplication, while the gold standard GIA was not. The breadth of Fc-mediated effector function discriminated clinical immunity following the challenge. These findings present a shift in the understanding of the mechanisms that underpin immunity to malaria and have important implications for vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene N Nkumama
- Centre of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; European Vaccine Initiative, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rodney Ogwang
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Dennis Odera
- Centre of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Fauzia Musasia
- Centre of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kennedy Mwai
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division, School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Lydia Nyamako
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Linda Murungi
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - James Tuju
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; Department of Biotechnology and Biochemistry, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Kristin Fürle
- Centre of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Micha Rosenkranz
- Centre of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rinter Kimathi
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Patricia Njuguna
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Mainga Hamaluba
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Melissa C Kapulu
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Roland Frank
- Centre of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Faith H A Osier
- Centre of Infectious Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), Kenya Medical Research Institute, Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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18
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Nishi T, Kaneko I, Iwanaga S, Yuda M. PbARID-associated chromatin remodeling events are essential for gametocyte development in Plasmodium. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:5624-5642. [PMID: 38554111 PMCID: PMC11162789 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Gametocyte development of the Plasmodium parasite is a key step for transmission of the parasite. Male and female gametocytes are produced from a subpopulation of asexual blood-stage parasites, but the mechanisms that regulate the differentiation of sexual stages are still under investigation. In this study, we investigated the role of PbARID, a putative subunit of a SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, in transcriptional regulation during the gametocyte development of P. berghei. PbARID expression starts in early gametocytes before the manifestation of male and female-specific features, and disruption of its gene results in the complete loss of gametocytes with detectable male features and the production of abnormal female gametocytes. ChIP-seq analysis of PbARID showed that it forms a complex with gSNF2, an ATPase subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, associating with the male cis-regulatory element, TGTCT. Further ChIP-seq of PbARID in gsnf2-knockout parasites revealed an association of PbARID with another cis-regulatory element, TGCACA. RIME and DNA-binding assays suggested that HDP1 is the transcription factor that recruits PbARID to the TGCACA motif. Our results indicated that PbARID could function in two chromatin remodeling events and paly essential roles in both male and female gametocyte development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsubasa Nishi
- Department of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
| | - Izumi Kaneko
- Department of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
| | - Shiroh Iwanaga
- Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masao Yuda
- Department of Medicine, Mie University, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
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19
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Parvatkar PT, Diagne K, Zhao Y, Manetsch R. Indoloquinoline Alkaloids as Antimalarials: Advances, Challenges, and Opportunities. ChemMedChem 2024:e202400254. [PMID: 38840271 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.202400254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Malaria infections affect almost half of the world's population, with over 200 million cases reported annually. Cryptolepis sanguinolenta, a plant native to West Africa, has long been used across various regions of Africa for malaria treatment. Chemical analysis has revealed that the plant is abundant in indoloquinolines, which have been shown to possess antimalarial properties. Cryptolepine, neocryptolepine, and isocryptolepine are well-studied indoloquinoline alkaloids known for their potent antimalarial activity. However, their structural rigidity and associated cellular toxicity are major drawbacks for preclinical development. This review focuses on the potential of indoloquinoline alkaloids (cryptolepine, neocryptolepine, and isocryptolepine) as scaffolds in drug discovery. The article delves into their antimalarial effects in vitro and in vivo, as well as their proposed mechanisms of action and structure-activity relationship studies. Several studies aim to improve these leads by reducing cytotoxicity while preserving or enhancing antimalarial activity and gaining insights into their mechanisms of action. These investigations highlight the potential of indoloquinolines as a scaffold for developing new antimalarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash T Parvatkar
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Khaly Diagne
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yingzhao Zhao
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Roman Manetsch
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Center for Drug Discovery, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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20
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Pêgo AC, Lima IS, Martins AC, Sá-Pereira I, Martins G, Gozzelino R. Infection vs. Reinfection: The Immunomodulation of Erythropoiesis. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6153. [PMID: 38892340 PMCID: PMC11172545 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116153] [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: 05/04/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe malarial anemia (SMA) increases the morbidity and mortality of Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria. SMA is mainly developed by children and pregnant women in response to the infection. It is characterized by ineffective erythropoiesis caused by impaired erythropoietin (EPO) signaling. To gain new insights into the pathogenesis of SMA, we investigated the relationship between the immune system and erythropoiesis, conducting comparative analyses in a mouse model of malaria. Red blood cell (RBC) production was evaluated in infected and reinfected animals to mimic endemic occurrences. Higher levels of circulating EPO were observed in response to (re)infection. Despite no major differences in bone marrow erythropoiesis, compensatory mechanisms of splenic RBC production were significantly reduced in reinfected mice. Concomitantly, a pronounced immune response activation was observed in erythropoietic organs of reinfected animals in relation to single-infected mice. Aged mice were also used to mimic the occurrence of malaria in the elderly. The increase in symptom severity was correlated with the enhanced activation of the immune system, which significantly impaired erythropoiesis. Immunocompromised mice further support the existence of an immune-shaping regulation of RBC production. Overall, our data reveal the strict correlation between erythropoiesis and immune cells, which ultimately dictates the severity of SMA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Raffaella Gozzelino
- NOVA Medical School Research, NOVA University of Lisbon, 1150-082 Lisbon, Portugal
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21
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Zwahlen SM, Hayward JA, Maguire CS, Qin AR, van Dooren GG. A myzozoan-specific protein is an essential membrane-anchoring component of the succinate dehydrogenase complex in Toxoplasma parasites. Open Biol 2024; 14:230463. [PMID: 38835243 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.230463] [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: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) is a protein complex that functions in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and the electron transport chain of mitochondria. In most eukaryotes, SDH is highly conserved and comprises the following four subunits: SdhA and SdhB form the catalytic core of the complex, while SdhC and SdhD anchor the complex in the membrane. Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite that infects one-third of humans worldwide. The genome of T. gondii encodes homologues of the catalytic subunits SdhA and SdhB, although the physiological role of the SDH complex in the parasite and the identity of the membrane-anchoring subunits are poorly understood. Here, we show that the SDH complex contributes to optimal proliferation and O2 consumption in the disease-causing tachyzoite stage of the T. gondii life cycle. We characterize a small membrane-bound subunit of the SDH complex called mitochondrial protein ookinete developmental defect (MPODD), which is conserved among myzozoans, a phylogenetic grouping that incorporates apicomplexan parasites and their closest free-living relatives. We demonstrate that TgMPODD is essential for SDH activity and plays a key role in attaching the TgSdhA and TgSdhB proteins to the membrane anchor of the complex. Our findings highlight a unique and important feature of mitochondrial energy metabolism in apicomplexan parasites and their relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soraya M Zwahlen
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University , Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Jenni A Hayward
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University , Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Capella S Maguire
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University , Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Alex R Qin
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University , Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Giel G van Dooren
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University , Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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22
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Carvalho Cabral P, Richard VR, Borchers CH, Olivier M, Cermakian N. Circadian Control of the Response of Macrophages to Plasmodium Spp.-Infected Red Blood Cells. Immunohorizons 2024; 8:442-456. [PMID: 38916585 PMCID: PMC11220744 DOI: 10.4049/immunohorizons.2400021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a serious vector-borne disease characterized by periodic episodes of high fever and strong immune responses that are coordinated with the daily synchronized parasite replication cycle inside RBCs. As immune cells harbor an autonomous circadian clock that controls various aspects of the immune response, we sought to determine whether the intensity of the immune response to Plasmodium spp., the parasite causing malaria, depends on time of infection. To do this, we developed a culture model in which mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages are stimulated with RBCs infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (iRBCs). Lysed iRBCs, but not intact iRBCs or uninfected RBCs, triggered an inflammatory immune response in bone marrow-derived macrophages. By stimulating at four different circadian time points (16, 22, 28, or 34 h postsynchronization of the cells' clock), 24-h rhythms in reactive oxygen species and cytokines/chemokines were found. Furthermore, the analysis of the macrophage proteome and phosphoproteome revealed global changes in response to iRBCs that varied according to circadian time. This included many proteins and signaling pathways known to be involved in the response to Plasmodium infection. In summary, our findings show that the circadian clock within macrophages determines the magnitude of the inflammatory response upon stimulation with ruptured iRBCs, along with changes of the cell proteome and phosphoproteome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vincent R. Richard
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Christoph H. Borchers
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Martin Olivier
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nicolas Cermakian
- Douglas Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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23
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Hashim D, Umer S, Hymete A, Mekonnen Y. In-Vivo Anti-Malarial Activity of 80% Methanol Leaf Extract of Croton Dichogamus Pax and Ehretia Cymosa Thonn in Plasmodium Berghei Infected Mice. J Exp Pharmacol 2024; 16:221-229. [PMID: 38826847 PMCID: PMC11144411 DOI: 10.2147/jep.s457659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Malaria is causing high mortality and morbidity due to Plasmodium's resistance to currently available anti-malarial drugs and mosquito's resistance to insecticides. Thus, there is a critical need to search for novel anti-malarial drugs from natural sources. Therefore, this study investigated in vivo antimalarial activities of two Ethiopian medicinal plants, Croton dichogamus Pax and Ehretia cymosa Thonn, in Plasmodium berghei infected Swiss albino mice. Methods Soxhlet extraction method using 80% methanol as a solvent was used to prepare crude extracts of the two plants. Acute oral toxicity and 4-day suppressive in vivo antimalarial activity tests were performed on healthy female mice and P. berghei infected male mice, respectively. Antimalarial activity of the crude extracts at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg and the standard drug, chloroquine were used to assesse in Plasmodium berghei infected Swiss albino mice. Parasitemia level, packed cell volume, body weight, and rectal temperature of the mice were determined before infection (day 0) and after treatment (day 4). Survival time was determined by recording the date on which the mice died, considering the date of infection as day 0. The recorded data were analyzed using ANOVA and SPSS version 24. Results The result of the acute toxicity study revealed that the crude extracts were non-toxic at doses up to 2 g/kg. The extract of E. cymosa suppressed parasitemia level by 66.28, 63.44 and 63.14% at 400, 200, and 100mg/kg, levels while C. dichogamus extract suppressed parasitemia level by 45.29% at a dose of 400mg/kg. The remaining two dose levels of C.dichogamus extract suppressed parasitemia level by < 30%. Conclusion C. dichogamus and E. cymosa showed anti-plasmodial activities. E. cymosa exhibited a more pronounced anti-plasmodial effect than C. dichogamus. The activities of both plants observed in this study support their traditional use as antimalarial drugs. Further studies on these plants using solvent fractions are required to identify their active ingredients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desta Hashim
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Shemsu Umer
- Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Ariaya Hymete
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Yalemtsehay Mekonnen
- Department of Zoological Sciences, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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24
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Gbaguidi MLE, Adamou R, Edslev S, Hansen A, Domingo ND, Dechavanne C, Massougbodji A, Garcia A, Theisen M, Milet J, Donadi EA, Courtin D. IgG and IgM responses to the Plasmodium falciparum asexual stage antigens reflect respectively protection against malaria during pregnancy and infanthood. Malar J 2024; 23:154. [PMID: 38764069 PMCID: PMC11103834 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04970-7] [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: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a public health issue mostly seen in tropical countries. Until now, there is no effective malaria vaccine against antigens specific to the blood-stage of P. falciparum infection. Because the pathogenesis of malarial disease results from blood-stage infection, it is essential to identify the most promising blood-stage vaccine candidate antigens under natural exposure to malaria infection. METHODS A cohort of 400 pregnant women and their infants was implemented in South Benin. An active and passive protocol of malaria surveillance was established during pregnancy and infancy to precisely ascertain malaria infections during the follow-up. Twenty-eight antibody (Ab) responses specific to seven malaria candidate vaccine antigens were repeatedly quantified during pregnancy (3 time points) and infancy (6 time points) in order to study the Ab kinetics and their protective role. Abs were quantified by ELISA and logistic, linear and cox-proportional hazard model were performed to analyse the associations between Ab responses and protection against malaria in mothers and infants, taking into account socio-economic factors and for infants an environmental risk of exposure. RESULTS The levels of IgM against MSP1, MSP2 and MSP3 showed an early protective response against the onset of symptomatic malaria infections starting from the 18th month of life, whereas no association was found for IgG responses during infancy. In women, some IgG responses tend to be associated with a protection against malaria risk along pregnancy and at delivery, among them IgG3 against GLURP-R0 and IgG2 against MSP1. CONCLUSION The main finding suggests that IgM should be considered in vaccine designs during infanthood. Investigation of the functional role played by IgM in malaria protection needs further attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahugnon L Erasme Gbaguidi
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- IRD, MERIT, Université Paris Cité, 75006, Paris, France
- Centre d'Etude Et de Recherche Sur Les Pathologies Associées À La Grossesse Et À L'Enfance, Cotonou, Bénin
| | - Rafiou Adamou
- IRD, MERIT, Université Paris Cité, 75006, Paris, France
- Centre d'Etude Et de Recherche Sur Les Pathologies Associées À La Grossesse Et À L'Enfance, Cotonou, Bénin
| | - Sofie Edslev
- Institut de Recherche Clinique du Bénin, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
| | - Anita Hansen
- Institut de Recherche Clinique du Bénin, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
| | - Nadia D Domingo
- Centre d'Etude Et de Recherche Sur Les Pathologies Associées À La Grossesse Et À L'Enfance, Cotonou, Bénin
| | | | | | - André Garcia
- IRD, MERIT, Université Paris Cité, 75006, Paris, France
| | - Michael Theisen
- Centre for Medical Parasitology at Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, University of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department for Congenital Disorders, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Eduardo A Donadi
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - David Courtin
- IRD, MERIT, Université Paris Cité, 75006, Paris, France.
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25
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Shepherd-Gorringe MAM, Pettit MW, Hawkes FM. Lethal and sublethal impacts of membrane-fed ivermectin are concentration dependent in Anopheles coluzzii. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:228. [PMID: 38755640 PMCID: PMC11100210 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06287-5] [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: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ivermectin is a well-tolerated anthelminthic drug with wide clinical and veterinary applications. It also has lethal and sublethal effects on mosquitoes. Mass drug administration with ivermectin has therefore been suggested as an innovative vector control tool in efforts to curb emerging insecticide resistance and reduce residual malaria transition. To support assessments of the feasibility and efficacy of current and future formulations of ivermectin for vector control, we sought to establish the relationship between ivermectin concentration and its lethal and sublethal impacts in a primary malaria vector. METHODS The in vitro effects of ivermectin on daily mortality and fecundity, measured by egg production, were assessed up to 14 days post-blood feed in a laboratory colony of Anopheles coluzzii. Mosquitoes were fed ivermectin in blood meals delivered by membrane feeding at one of six concentrations: 0 ng/ml (control), 10 ng/ml, 15 ng/ml, 25 ng/ml, 50 ng/ml, 75 ng/ml, and 100 ng/ml. RESULTS Ivermectin had a significant effect on mosquito survival in a concentration-dependent manner. The LC50 at 7 days was 19.7 ng/ml. The time to median mortality at ≥ 50 ng/ml was ≤ 4 days, compared to 9.6 days for control, and 6.3-7.6 days for ivermectin concentrations between 10 and 25 ng/ml. Fecundity was also affected; no oviposition was observed in surviving females from the two highest concentration treatment groups. While females exposed to 10 to 50 ng/ml of ivermectin did oviposit, significantly fewer did so in the 50 ng/ml treatment group compared to the control, and they also produced significantly fewer eggs. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed ivermectin reduced mosquito survival in a concentration-dependent manner and at ≥ 50 ng/ml significantly reduced fecundity in An. coluzzii. Results indicate that levels of ivermectin found in human blood following ingestion of a single 150-200 μg/kg dose would be sufficient to achieve 50% mortality across 7 days; however, fecundity in survivors is unlikely to be affected. At higher doses, a substantial impact on both survival and fecundity is likely. Treating human populations with ivermectin could be used as a supplementary malaria vector control method to kill mosquito populations and supress their reproduction; however strategies to safely maintain mosquitocidal blood levels of ivermectin against all Anopheles species require development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique A M Shepherd-Gorringe
- Medway Centre for Pharmaceutical Science, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK.
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich at Medway, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK.
| | - Marie W Pettit
- Medway Centre for Pharmaceutical Science, University of Greenwich, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Frances M Hawkes
- Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich at Medway, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
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26
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Pian H, Wang H, Wang H, Li Z. Dual CRISPR/Cas13a Cascade Strand Displacement-Triggered Transcription for Point-of-Care Detection of Plasmodium in Asymptomatic Malaria. Anal Chem 2024; 96:7524-7531. [PMID: 38695755 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2024]
Abstract
Asymptomatic infections of Plasmodium parasites are major obstacles to malaria control and elimination. A sensitive, specific, and user-friendly method is urgently needed for point-of-care (POC) Plasmodium diagnostics in asymptomatic malaria, especially in resource-limited settings. In this work, we present a POC method (termed Cas13a-SDT) based on the cascade sequence recognition and signal amplification of dual Cas13a trans-cleavage and strand displacement-triggered transcription (SDT). Cas13a-SDT not only achieves exceptional specificity in discriminating the target RNA from nontarget RNAs with any cross-interaction but also meets the sensitivity criterion set by the World Health Organization (WHO) for effective malaria detection. Remarkably, this novel method was successfully applied to screen malaria in asymptomatic infections from clinical samples. The proposed method provides a user-friendly and visually interpretable output mode while maintaining high accuracy and reliability comparable to RT-PCR. These excellent features demonstrate the significant potential of Cas13a-SDT for POC diagnosis of Plasmodium infections, laying a vital foundation for advancing malaria control and elimination efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongru Pian
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Bioengineering and Sensing Technology, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Bioengineering and Sensing Technology, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Honghong Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Bioengineering and Sensing Technology, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Zhengping Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Bioengineering and Sensing Technology, School of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
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27
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Feineis D, Bringmann G. Structural variety and pharmacological potential of naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids. THE ALKALOIDS. CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY 2024; 91:1-410. [PMID: 38811064 DOI: 10.1016/bs.alkal.2024.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids are a fascinating class of natural biaryl compounds. They show characteristic mono- and dimeric scaffolds, with chiral axes and stereogenic centers. Since the appearance of the last comprehensive overview on these secondary plant metabolites in this series in 1995, the number of discovered representatives has tremendously increased to more than 280 examples known today. Many novel-type compounds have meanwhile been discovered, among them naphthylisoquinoline-related follow-up products like e.g., the first seco-type (i.e., ring-opened) and ring-contracted analogues. As highlighted in this review, the knowledge on the broad structural chemodiversity of naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids has been decisively driven forward by extensive phytochemical studies on the metabolite pattern of Ancistrocladus abbreviatus from Coastal West Africa, which is a particularly "creative" plant. These investigations furnished a considerable number of more than 80-mostly new-natural products from this single species, with promising antiplasmodial activities and with pronounced cytotoxic effects against human leukemia, pancreatic, cervical, and breast cancer cells. Another unique feature of naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids is their unprecedented biosynthetic origin from polyketidic precursors and not, as usual for isoquinoline alkaloids, from aromatic amino acids-a striking example of biosynthetic convergence in nature. Furthermore, remarkable botanical results are presented on the natural producers of naphthylisoquinoline alkaloids, the paleotropical Dioncophyllaceae and Ancistrocladaceae lianas, including first investigations on the chemoecological role of these plant metabolites and their storage and accumulation in particular plant organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doris Feineis
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Bringmann
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
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28
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Abdullaziz MA, Takada S, Illarionov B, Pessanha de Carvalho L, Sakamoto Y, Höfmann S, Knak T, Kiffe-Delf AL, Mazzone F, Pfeffer K, Kalscheuer R, Bacher A, Held J, Fischer M, Tanaka N, Kurz T. Reverse N-Substituted Hydroxamic Acid Derivatives of Fosmidomycin Target a Previously Unknown Subpocket of 1-Deoxy-d-xylulose 5-Phosphate Reductoisomerase (DXR). ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:1739-1752. [PMID: 38647213 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00100] [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] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Reverse analogs of the phosphonohydroxamic acid antibiotic fosmidomycin are potent inhibitors of the nonmevalonate isoprenoid biosynthesis enzyme 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR, IspC) of Plasmodium falciparum. Some novel analogs with large phenylalkyl substituents at the hydroxamic acid nitrogen exhibit nanomolar PfDXR inhibition and potent in vitro growth inhibition of P. falciparum parasites coupled with good parasite selectivity. X-ray crystallographic studies demonstrated that the N-phenylpropyl substituent of the newly developed lead compound 13e is accommodated in a subpocket within the DXR catalytic domain but does not reach the NADPH binding pocket of the N-terminal domain. As shown for reverse carba and thia analogs, PfDXR selectively binds the S-enantiomer of the new lead compound. In addition, some representatives of the novel inhibitor subclass are nanomolar Escherichia coli DXR inhibitors, whereas the inhibition of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DXR is considerably weaker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona A Abdullaziz
- Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- National Research Centre (NRC), 33 El Buhouth St, Ad Doqi, Dokki, Cairo 12622, Egypt
| | - Sana Takada
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Boris Illarionov
- Hamburg School of Food Science, Universität Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lais Pessanha de Carvalho
- Institut für Tropenmedizin, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstr. 27, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Yasumitsu Sakamoto
- School of Pharmacy, Iwate Medical University, Yahaba, Iwate 028-3694, Japan
| | - Stefan Höfmann
- Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Talea Knak
- Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Anna-Lene Kiffe-Delf
- Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Biotechnology, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Flaminia Mazzone
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Heinrich Heine University, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Klaus Pfeffer
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Heinrich Heine University, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Rainer Kalscheuer
- Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Biotechnology, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Adelbert Bacher
- Hamburg School of Food Science, Universität Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
- TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstr. 10, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Jana Held
- Institut für Tropenmedizin, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstr. 27, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Markus Fischer
- Hamburg School of Food Science, Universität Hamburg, Grindelallee 117, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nobutada Tanaka
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Thomas Kurz
- Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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29
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Choi JW, Ha SO, Kim YJ, Shin JS, Choi MJ, Yu SE, Han J, Park EJ, Park KS, Kang JH. Characterization of Escherichia coli Strains for Novel Production of Plasmodium ovale Lactate Dehydrogenase. Microorganisms 2024; 12:876. [PMID: 38792706 PMCID: PMC11123484 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12050876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Malaria is one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide with high incidence and mortality. Among the five species that can infect humans, Plasmodium ovale morphologically resembles Plasmodium vivax, resulting in misidentification and confusion in diagnosis, and is responsible for malarial disease relapse due to the formation of hypnozoites. P. ovale receives relatively less attention compared to other major parasites, such as P. falciparum and P. vivax, primarily due to its lower pathogenicity, mortality rates, and prevalence rates. To efficiently produce lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), a major target for diagnosing malaria, this study used three Escherichia coli strains, BL21(DE3), BL21(DE3)pLysS, and Rosetta(DE3), commonly used for recombinant protein production. These strains were characterized to select the optimal strain for P. ovale LDH (PoLDH) production. Gene cloning for recombinant PoLDH production and transformation of the three strains for protein expression were performed. The optimal PoLDH overexpression and washing buffer conditions in nickel-based affinity chromatography were established to ensure high-purity PoLDH. The yields of PoLDH expressed by the three strains were as follows: BL21(DE3), 7.6 mg/L; BL21(DE3)pLysS, 7.4 mg/L; and Rosetta(DE3), 9.5 mg/L. These findings are expected to be highly useful for PoLDH-specific diagnosis and development of antimalarial therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae-Won Choi
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Oh Ha
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeon-Jun Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun-Seop Shin
- Department of Biomedical Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Ji Choi
- Department of Biomedical Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Si-Eun Yu
- Department of Biomedical Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Junghun Han
- Department of Biomedical Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Ji Park
- Department of Biomedical Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyoung Sik Park
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Hoon Kang
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biomedical Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Cheongju University, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
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30
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Daubenberger CA, Silva JC. First-generation malaria vaccine successfully implemented in three African countries. Lancet 2024; 403:1607-1609. [PMID: 38583452 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(23)02892-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Claudia A Daubenberger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Joana C Silva
- Institute for Genome Sciences and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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31
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Creek D, Giannangelo C, Challis M, Siddiqui G, Edgar R, Malcolm T, Webb C, Drinkwater N, Vinh N, MacRaild C, Counihan N, Duffy S, Wittlin S, Devine S, Avery V, de Koning-Ward T, Scammells P, McGowan S. Chemoproteomics validates selective targeting of Plasmodium M1 alanyl aminopeptidase as an antimalarial strategy. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3251230. [PMID: 38746424 PMCID: PMC11092810 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3251230/v3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
New antimalarial drug candidates that act via novel mechanisms are urgently needed to combat malaria drug resistance. Here, we describe the multi-omic chemical validation of Plasmodium M1 alanyl metalloaminopeptidase as an attractive drug target using the selective inhibitor, MIPS2673. MIPS2673 demonstrated potent inhibition of recombinant Plasmodium falciparum ( Pf A-M1) and Plasmodium vivax ( Pv A-M1) M1 metalloaminopeptidases, with selectivity over other Plasmodium and human aminopeptidases, and displayed excellent in vitro antimalarial activity with no significant host cytotoxicity. Orthogonal label-free chemoproteomic methods based on thermal stability and limited proteolysis of whole parasite lysates revealed that MIPS2673 solely targets Pf A-M1 in parasites, with limited proteolysis also enabling estimation of the binding site on Pf A-M1 to within ~5 Å of that determined by X-ray crystallography. Finally, functional investigation by untargeted metabolomics demonstrated that MIPS2673 inhibits the key role of Pf A-M1 in haemoglobin digestion. Combined, our unbiased multi-omic target deconvolution methods confirmed the on-target activity of MIPS2673, and validated selective inhibition of M1 alanyl metalloaminopeptidase as a promising antimalarial strategy.
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32
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Dunican C, Andradi-Brown C, Ebmeier S, Georgiadou A, Cunnington AJ. The malarial blood transcriptome: translational applications. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:651-660. [PMID: 38421063 PMCID: PMC11088907 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230497] [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: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The blood transcriptome of malaria patients has been used extensively to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms and host immune responses to disease, identify candidate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and reveal new therapeutic targets for drug discovery. This review gives a high-level overview of the three main translational applications of these studies (diagnostics, prognostics, and therapeutics) by summarising recent literature and outlining the main limitations and future directions of each application. It highlights the need for consistent and accurate definitions of disease states and subject groups and discusses how prognostic studies must distinguish clearly between analyses that attempt to predict future disease states and those which attempt to discriminate between current disease states (classification). Lastly it examines how many promising therapeutics fail due to the choice of imperfect animal models for pre-clinical testing and lack of appropriate validation studies in humans, and how future transcriptional studies may be utilised to overcome some of these limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Dunican
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, U.K
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Clare Andradi-Brown
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, U.K
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Stefan Ebmeier
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, U.K
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Athina Georgiadou
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, U.K
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, London, U.K
| | - Aubrey J. Cunnington
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, U.K
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, London, U.K
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33
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Sharma I, Kataria P, Das J. Cerebral malaria pathogenesis: Dissecting the role of CD4 + and CD8 + T-cells as major effectors in disease pathology. Int Rev Immunol 2024:1-18. [PMID: 38618863 DOI: 10.1080/08830185.2024.2336539] [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: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Cerebral malaria (CM) is a severe complication of Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) infection, with complex pathogenesis involving multiple factors, including the host's immunological response. T lymphocytes, specifically CD4+ T helper cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, are crucial in controlling parasite growth and activating cells for parasite clearance via cytokine secretion. Contrary to this, reports also suggest the pathogenic nature of T lymphocytes as they are often involved in disease progression and severity. CD8+ cytotoxic T cells migrate to the host's brain vasculature, disrupting the blood-brain barrier and causing neurological manifestations. CD4+ T helper cells on the other hand play a variety of functions as they differentiate into different subtypes which may function as pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory. The excessive pro-inflammatory response in CM can lead to multi-organ failure, necessitating a check mechanism to maintain immune homeostasis. This is achieved by regulatory T cells and their characteristic cytokines, which counterbalance the pro-inflammatory immune response. Maintaining a critical balance between pro and anti-inflammatory responses is crucial for determining disease outcomes in CM. A slight change in this balance may contribute to a disease severity owing to an extreme inflammatory response or unrestricted parasite growth, a potential target for designing immunotherapeutic treatment approaches. The review briefly discusses the pathogenesis of CM and various mechanisms responsible for the disruption of the blood-brain barrier. It also highlights the role of different T cell subsets during infection and emphasizes the importance of balance between pro and anti-inflammatory T cells that ultimately decides the outcome of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indu Sharma
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Noida, India
- Division of Immunology, National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
| | - Poonam Kataria
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Noida, India
- Division of Immunology, National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
| | - Jyoti Das
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Noida, India
- Division of Immunology, National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, New Delhi, India
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34
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Hellingman A, Sifoniou K, Buser T, Thommen BT, Walz A, Passecker A, Collins J, Hupfeld M, Wittlin S, Witmer K, Brancucci NMB. Next Generation Chemiluminescent Probes for Antimalarial Drug Discovery. ACS Infect Dis 2024; 10:1286-1297. [PMID: 38556981 PMCID: PMC11019541 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00707] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Malaria is caused by parasites of the Plasmodium genus and remains one of the most pressing human health problems. The spread of parasites resistant to or partially resistant to single or multiple drugs, including frontline antimalarial artemisinin and its derivatives, poses a serious threat to current and future malaria control efforts. In vitro drug assays are important for identifying new antimalarial compounds and monitoring drug resistance. Due to its robustness and ease of use, the [3H]-hypoxanthine incorporation assay is still considered a gold standard and is widely applied, despite limited sensitivity and the dependence on radioactive material. Here, we present a first-of-its-kind chemiluminescence-based antimalarial drug screening assay. The effect of compounds on P. falciparum is monitored by using a dioxetane-based substrate (AquaSpark β-D-galactoside) that emits high-intensity luminescence upon removal of a protective group (β-D-galactoside) by a transgenic β-galactosidase reporter enzyme. This biosensor enables highly sensitive, robust, and cost-effective detection of asexual, intraerythrocytic P. falciparum parasites without the need for parasite enrichment, washing, or purification steps. We are convinced that the ultralow detection limit of less than 100 parasites of the presented biosensor system will become instrumental in malaria research, including but not limited to drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Hellingman
- Department
of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kleopatra Sifoniou
- Department
of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tamara Buser
- Department
of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Basil T. Thommen
- Department
of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Annabelle Walz
- Department
of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Armin Passecker
- Department
of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Sergio Wittlin
- Department
of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kathrin Witmer
- Department
of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
- NEMIS
Technologies AG, 8804 Au, ZH, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas M. B. Brancucci
- Department
of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
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35
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Adegboro AG, Afolabi IS. Molecular mechanisms of mitochondria-mediated ferroptosis: a potential target for antimalarial interventions. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1374735. [PMID: 38660623 PMCID: PMC11039840 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1374735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death characterized by glutathione (GSH) depletion, glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) inactivation, and the build-up of lipotoxic reactive species. Ferroptosis-targeted induction is a promising therapeutic approach for addressing antimalarial drug resistance. In addition to being the primary source of intracellular energy supply and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, mitochondria actively participate in diverse forms of regulated cell death, including ferroptosis. Altered mitochondrial morphology and functionality are attributed to ferroptosis. Diverse mitochondria-related proteins and metabolic activities have been implicated in fine-tuning the action of ferroptosis inducers. Herein, we review recent progress in this evolving field, elucidating the numerous mechanisms by which mitochondria regulate ferroptosis and giving an insight into the role of the organelle in ferroptosis. Additionally, we present an overview of how mitochondria contribute to ferroptosis in malaria. Furthermore, we attempt to shed light on an inclusive perspective on how targeting malaria parasites' mitochondrion and attacking redox homeostasis is anticipated to induce ferroptosis-mediated antiparasitic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adegbolagun Grace Adegboro
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science and Technology, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
- Covenant Applied Informatics and Communication Africa Centre of Excellence (CApIC-ACE), Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
| | - Israel Sunmola Afolabi
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science and Technology, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
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36
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Frempong NA, Mama A, Adu B, Kusi KA, Ofori MF, Ahiabor C, Anyan WK, Debrah AY, Anang AA, Ndam NT, Courtin D. Antibody response to malaria vaccine candidates in pregnant women with Plasmodium falciparum and Schistosoma haematobium infections. Parasite Immunol 2024; 46:e13027. [PMID: 38587985 DOI: 10.1111/pim.13027] [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: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Malaria in pregnancy has severe consequences for the mother and foetus. Antibody response to specific malaria vaccine candidates (MVC) has been associated with a decreased risk of clinical malaria and its outcomes. We studied Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and Schistosoma haematobium (Sh) infections and factors that could influence antibody responses to MVC in pregnant women. A total of 337 pregnant women receiving antenatal care (ANC) and 139 for delivery participated in this study. Pf infection was detected by qPCR and Sh infection using urine filtration method. Antibody levels against CSP, AMA-1, GLURP-R0, VAR2CSA and Pfs48/45 MVC were quantified by ELISA. Multivariable linear regression models identified factors associated with the modulation of antibody responses. The prevalence of Pf and Sh infections was 27% and 4% at ANC and 7% and 4% at delivery. Pf infection, residing in Adidome and multigravidae were positively associated with specific IgG response to CSP, AMA-1, GLURP-R0 and VAR2CSA. ITN use and IPTp were negatively associated with specific IgG response to GLURP-R0 and Pfs48/45. There was no association between Sh infection and antibody response to MVC at ANC or delivery. Pf infections in pregnant women were positively associated with antibody response to CSP, GLURP-R0 and AMA-1. Antibody response to GLURP-R0 and Pfs48/45 was low for IPTp and ITN users. This could indicate a lower exposure to Pf infection and low malaria prevalence observed at delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naa Adjeley Frempong
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
- Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Atikatou Mama
- Inserm U 1016, Institut Cochin, Université de, Paris, France
| | - Bright Adu
- Immunology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Kwadwo Asamoah Kusi
- Immunology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Michael F Ofori
- Immunology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Charity Ahiabor
- Science Laboratory Department, Accra Technical University, Accra, Ghana
| | - William K Anyan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Alex Yaw Debrah
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Abraham A Anang
- Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies (IESS), University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Nicaise T Ndam
- UMR 216 MERIT, IRD, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - David Courtin
- UMR 216 MERIT, IRD, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
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Raza M, Bharti H, Chauhan C, Singal A, Jha D, Ghosh PC, Nag A. Enhanced anti-malarial efficacy of mefloquine delivered via cationic liposome in a murine model of experimental cerebral malaria. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2024; 197:114210. [PMID: 38340876 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2024.114210] [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: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 12/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Malaria is a longstanding global health challenge that continues to afflict over 90 countries located in tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. The rise of drug-resistant malarial parasites has curtailed the therapeutic efficacy of a number of once-effective anti-malarials, including mefloquine. In the present study, we have taken advantage of drug encapsulation approach to elevate the anti-malarial potential of mefloquine. Encouragingly, our findings unveil that liposomal formulations of mefloquine outperform equivalent doses of free mefloquine, both in laboratory cultures and in a murine model of malaria. Intriguingly, a cationic liposomal mefloquine formulation, administered at four successive doses of 3 mg/kg body weight, achieves complete resolution of cerebral malaria in the murine model while avoiding noticeable toxic repercussions. Altogether, our study furnishes pre-clinical validation for a therapeutic strategy that can remarkably enhance the drug efficacy, offering a revitalizing solution for failing anti-malarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsin Raza
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Hina Bharti
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Charu Chauhan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Aakriti Singal
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Deepa Jha
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Prahlad C Ghosh
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Alo Nag
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India.
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38
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Gao P, Wang J, Qiu C, Zhang H, Wang C, Zhang Y, Sun P, Chen H, Wong YK, Chen J, Zhang J, Tang H, Shi Q, Zhu Y, Shen S, Han G, Xu C, Dai L, Wang J. Photoaffinity probe-based antimalarial target identification of artemisinin in the intraerythrocytic developmental cycle of Plasmodium falciparum. IMETA 2024; 3:e176. [PMID: 38882489 PMCID: PMC11170969 DOI: 10.1002/imt2.176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Malaria continues to pose a serious global health threat, and artemisinin remains the core drug for global malaria control. However, the situation of malaria resistance has become increasingly severe due to the emergence and spread of artemisinin resistance. In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding the mechanism of action (MoA) of artemisinin. Prior research on the MoA of artemisinin mainly focused on covalently bound targets that are alkylated by artemisinin-free radicals. However, less attention has been given to the reversible noncovalent binding targets, and there is a paucity of information regarding artemisinin targets at different life cycle stages of the parasite. In this study, we identified the protein targets of artemisinin at different stages of the parasite's intraerythrocytic developmental cycle using a photoaffinity probe. Our findings demonstrate that artemisinin interacts with parasite proteins in vivo through both covalent and noncovalent modes. Extensive mechanistic studies were then conducted by integrating target validation, phenotypic studies, and untargeted metabolomics. The results suggest that protein synthesis, glycolysis, and oxidative homeostasis are critically involved in the antimalarial activities of artemisinin. In summary, this study provides fresh insights into the mechanisms underlying artemisinin's antimalarial effects and its protein targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Gao
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics Shenzhen People's Hospital; First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen China
| | - Jianyou Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drugs, School of Pharmacy Henan University Kaifeng China
| | - Chong Qiu
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
| | - Huimin Zhang
- Shandong Academy of Chinese Medicine Jinan China
| | - Chen Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
| | - Ying Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
| | - Peng Sun
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
| | - Honglin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drugs, School of Pharmacy Henan University Kaifeng China
| | - Yin Kwan Wong
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
| | - Jiayun Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
| | - Junzhe Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
| | - Huan Tang
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
| | - Qiaoli Shi
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
| | - Yongping Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
| | - Shengnan Shen
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
| | - Guang Han
- State Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drugs, School of Pharmacy Henan University Kaifeng China
| | - Chengchao Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics Shenzhen People's Hospital; First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen China
| | - Lingyun Dai
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics Shenzhen People's Hospital; First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen China
| | - Jigang Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Quality Ensurance and Sustainable Use of Dao-di Herbs, Artemisinin Research Center, Institute of Chinese Materia Medical China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Beijing China
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen Institute of Respiratory Diseases, and Shenzhen Clinical Research Centre for Geriatrics Shenzhen People's Hospital; First Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology Shenzhen China
- State Key Laboratory of Antiviral Drugs, School of Pharmacy Henan University Kaifeng China
- Shandong Academy of Chinese Medicine Jinan China
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Perera DJ, Koger-Pease C, Paulini K, Daoudi M, Ndao M. Beyond schistosomiasis: unraveling co-infections and altered immunity. Clin Microbiol Rev 2024; 37:e0009823. [PMID: 38319102 PMCID: PMC10938899 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00098-23] [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] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the helminth Schistosoma spp. and has the second highest global impact of all parasites. Schistosoma are transmitted through contact with contaminated fresh water predominantly in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Due to the widespread prevalence of Schistosoma, co-infection with other infectious agents is common but often poorly described. Herein, we review recent literature describing the impact of Schistosoma co-infection between species and Schistosoma co-infection with blood-borne protozoa, soil-transmitted helminths, various intestinal protozoa, Mycobacterium, Salmonella, various urinary tract infection-causing agents, and viral pathogens. In each case, disease severity and, of particular interest, the immune landscape, are altered as a consequence of co-infection. Understanding the impact of schistosomiasis co-infections will be important when considering treatment strategies and vaccine development moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilhan J. Perera
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada
| | - Cal Koger-Pease
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada
| | - Kayla Paulini
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Mohamed Daoudi
- Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Momar Ndao
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- National Reference Centre for Parasitology, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Canada
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Tebben K, Yirampo S, Coulibaly D, Koné AK, Laurens MB, Stucke EM, Dembélé A, Tolo Y, Traoré K, Niangaly A, Berry AA, Kouriba B, Plowe CV, Doumbo OK, Lyke KE, Takala-Harrison S, Thera MA, Travassos MA, Serre D. Gene expression analyses reveal differences in children's response to malaria according to their age. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2021. [PMID: 38448421 PMCID: PMC10918175 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46416-3] [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: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
In Bandiagara, Mali, children experience on average two clinical malaria episodes per year. However, even in the same transmission area, the number of uncomplicated symptomatic infections, and their parasitemia, can vary dramatically among children. We simultaneously characterize host and parasite gene expression profiles from 136 Malian children with symptomatic falciparum malaria and examine differences in the relative proportion of immune cells and parasite stages, as well as in gene expression, associated with infection and or patient characteristics. Parasitemia explains much of the variation in host and parasite gene expression, and infections with higher parasitemia display proportionally more neutrophils and fewer T cells, suggesting parasitemia-dependent neutrophil recruitment and/or T cell extravasation to secondary lymphoid organs. The child's age also strongly correlates with variations in gene expression: Plasmodium falciparum genes associated with age suggest that older children carry more male gametocytes, while variations in host gene expression indicate a stronger innate response in younger children and stronger adaptive response in older children. These analyses highlight the variability in host responses and parasite regulation during P. falciparum symptomatic infections and emphasize the importance of considering the children's age when studying and treating malaria infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kieran Tebben
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Salif Yirampo
- Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies, Bamako, Mali
| | - Drissa Coulibaly
- Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies, Bamako, Mali
| | - Abdoulaye K Koné
- Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies, Bamako, Mali
| | - Matthew B Laurens
- Malaria Research Program, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Emily M Stucke
- Malaria Research Program, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ahmadou Dembélé
- Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies, Bamako, Mali
| | - Youssouf Tolo
- Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies, Bamako, Mali
| | - Karim Traoré
- Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies, Bamako, Mali
| | - Amadou Niangaly
- Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies, Bamako, Mali
| | - Andrea A Berry
- Malaria Research Program, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bourema Kouriba
- Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies, Bamako, Mali
| | - Christopher V Plowe
- Malaria Research Program, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ogobara K Doumbo
- Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies, Bamako, Mali
| | - Kirsten E Lyke
- Malaria Research Program, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shannon Takala-Harrison
- Malaria Research Program, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mahamadou A Thera
- Malaria Research and Training Center, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies, Bamako, Mali
| | - Mark A Travassos
- Malaria Research Program, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - David Serre
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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41
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Long B, MacDonald A, Liang SY, Brady WJ, Koyfman A, Gottlieb M, Chavez S. Malaria: A focused review for the emergency medicine clinician. Am J Emerg Med 2024; 77:7-16. [PMID: 38096639 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2023.11.035] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Malaria is a potentially fatal parasitic disease transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. A resurgence in locally acquired infections has been reported in the U.S. OBJECTIVE This narrative review provides a focused overview of malaria for the emergency clinician, including the epidemiology, presentation, diagnosis, and management of the disease. DISCUSSION Malaria is caused by Plasmodium and is transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. Disease severity can range from mild to severe. Malaria should be considered in any returning traveler from an endemic region, as well as those with unexplained cyclical, paroxysms of symptoms or unexplained fever. Patients most commonly present with fever and rigors but may also experience cough, myalgias, abdominal pain, fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhea. Hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, pallor, and jaundice are findings associated with malaria. Although less common, severe malaria is precipitated by microvascular obstruction with complications of anemia, acidosis, hypoglycemia, multiorgan failure, and cerebral malaria. Peripheral blood smears remain the gold standard for diagnosis, but rapid diagnostic tests are available. Treatment includes specialist consultation and antimalarial drugs tailored depending on chloroquine resistance, geographic region of travel, and patient comorbidities. Supportive care may be required, and patients with severe malaria will require resuscitation. Most patients will require admission for treatment and further monitoring. CONCLUSION Emergency medicine clinicians should be aware of the presentation, diagnosis, evaluation, and management of malaria to ensure optimal outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brit Long
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Austin MacDonald
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, TX, USA
| | - Stephen Y Liang
- Divisions of Emergency Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - William J Brady
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
| | - Alex Koyfman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Michael Gottlieb
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Summer Chavez
- Department of Health Systems and Population Health Sciences, Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, USA.
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Costa E, Rocha D, Lopes JIF, Andrade E, Cardoso P, Ribeiro M, Fontana-Maurell M, Vicentino ARR, Calazans AR, Arruda MB, Mesquita CDA, Ferreira AGP, Amorim Filho L, Alvarez P. Detection of Plasmodium spp. in asymptomatic blood donors by the new Brazilian NAT PLUS HIV/HBV/HCV/Malaria Bio-Manguinhos kit. Transfusion 2024; 64:501-509. [PMID: 38258881 DOI: 10.1111/trf.17726] [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: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transfusion-transmitted malaria (TTM) is a public health problem in endemic and nonendemic areas. The Brazilian Ministry of Health (MH) requested the development of a nucleic acid amplification test (NAT) for the detection of Plasmodium spp. in public blood centers to increase blood safety. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS The new Brazilian NAT kit named NAT PLUS HIV/HBV/HCV/Malaria Bio-Manguinhos was first implemented in HEMORIO, a public blood center in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Since October 1, 2022, this blood center has been testing all its blood donations for malaria in a pool of six plasma samples to detect Plasmodium spp. by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS Since the implementation of the NAT PLUS platform until February 2023, HEMORIO has successfully received and tested 200,277 donations. The platform detected two asymptomatic donors in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which is a nonendemic region for malaria. Our analyses suggested a malaria from the Amazon region caused by Plasmodium vivax, in the first case, while an autochthonous transmission case by Plasmodium malariae was identified in the rural area of Rio de Janeiro state. DISCUSSION The NAT PLUS platform detects Plasmodium spp. in plasma samples with sensitivity capable of detecting subpatent infections. This is the first time worldwide that a group developed and implemented molecular diagnosis for Plasmodium spp. to be used by public blood centers to avoid TTM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine Costa
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Diagnóstica (LATED), Instituto de Tecnologia de Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Daniele Rocha
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Diagnóstica (LATED), Instituto de Tecnologia de Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | | | - Elisabete Andrade
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Diagnóstica (LATED), Instituto de Tecnologia de Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Pedro Cardoso
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Diagnóstica (LATED), Instituto de Tecnologia de Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Marisa Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Diagnóstica (LATED), Instituto de Tecnologia de Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Marcela Fontana-Maurell
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Diagnóstica (LATED), Instituto de Tecnologia de Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Amanda Roberta Revoredo Vicentino
- Laboratório de Imunologia Molecular e Celular, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Alexandre Rodrigues Calazans
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Diagnóstica (LATED), Instituto de Tecnologia de Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Monica Barcellos Arruda
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Diagnóstica (LATED), Instituto de Tecnologia de Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | | | - Antonio Gomes Pinto Ferreira
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Diagnóstica (LATED), Instituto de Tecnologia de Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | | | - Patrícia Alvarez
- Laboratório de Tecnologia Diagnóstica (LATED), Instituto de Tecnologia de Imunobiológicos (Bio-Manguinhos), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
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Memariani H, Memariani M, Ghasemian A. Quercetin as a Promising Antiprotozoan Phytochemical: Current Knowledge and Future Research Avenues. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 2024:7632408. [PMID: 38456097 PMCID: PMC10919984 DOI: 10.1155/2024/7632408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Despite tremendous advances in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, only few antiparasitic drugs have been developed to date. Protozoan infections such as malaria, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis continue to exact an enormous toll on public health worldwide, underscoring the need to discover novel antiprotozoan drugs. Recently, there has been an explosion of research into the antiprotozoan properties of quercetin, one of the most abundant flavonoids in the human diet. In this review, we tried to consolidate the current knowledge on the antiprotozoal effects of quercetin and to provide the most fruitful avenues for future research. Quercetin exerts potent antiprotozoan activity against a broad spectrum of pathogens such as Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma spp., Plasmodium spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Trichomonas spp., and Toxoplasma gondii. In addition to its immunomodulatory roles, quercetin disrupts mitochondrial function, induces apoptotic/necrotic cell death, impairs iron uptake, inhibits multiple enzymes involved in fatty acid synthesis and the glycolytic pathways, suppresses the activity of DNA topoisomerases, and downregulates the expression of various heat shock proteins in these pathogens. In vivo studies also show that quercetin is effective in reducing parasitic loads, histopathological damage, and mortality in animals. Future research should focus on designing effective drug delivery systems to increase the oral bioavailability of quercetin. Incorporating quercetin into various nanocarrier systems would be a promising approach to manage localized cutaneous infections. Nevertheless, clinical trials are needed to validate the efficacy of quercetin in treating various protozoan infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamed Memariani
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Memariani
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abdolmajid Ghasemian
- Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran
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Balmith M, Basson C, Brand SJ. The Malaria Burden: A South African Perspective. J Trop Med 2024; 2024:6619010. [PMID: 38434493 PMCID: PMC10907104 DOI: 10.1155/2024/6619010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a deadly disease caused by protozoan pathogens of the Plasmodium parasite. Transmission to humans occurs through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 247 million cases of malaria were recorded worldwide in 2021, with approximately 619 000 malaria deaths. The initial signs of malaria can be mild and challenging to diagnose due to the signs and symptoms being similar to those of other illnesses. The malaria burden remains largely concentrated in the WHO sub-Saharan African region and has been recognised as a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality. This review aims to contribute to the existing knowledge on malaria in South Africa, a region within sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on the epidemiology and life cycle of the malaria parasite as well as diagnostic approaches for detecting malaria. In addition, nonpharmacological and pharmacological interventions for treating and preventing malaria infections will also be discussed herein. While there has been a significant reduction in the global burden of this disease, malaria remains a public health issue in South Africa. As such, the implementation of effective preventative measures and strategies, early diagnosis, and appropriate treatment regimens are crucial to reducing the malaria burden in South Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marissa Balmith
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Charlise Basson
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Sarel J. Brand
- Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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Parvatkar P, Maher SP, Zhao Y, Cooper CA, de Castro ST, Péneau J, Vantaux A, Witkowski B, Kyle DE, Manetsch R. In Vitro Antimalarial Activity of Trichothecenes against Liver and Blood Stages of Plasmodium Species. JOURNAL OF NATURAL PRODUCTS 2024; 87:315-321. [PMID: 38262446 PMCID: PMC10897926 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.3c01019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Trichothecenes (TCNs) are a large group of tricyclic sesquiterpenoid mycotoxins that have intriguing structural features and remarkable biological activities. Herein, we focused on three TCNs (anguidine, verrucarin A, and verrucarol) and their ability to target both the blood and liver stages of Plasmodium species, the parasite responsible for malaria. Anguidine and verrucarin A were found to be highly effective against the blood and liver stages of malaria, while verrucarol had no effect at the highest concentration tested. However, these compounds were also found to be cytotoxic and, thus, not selective, making them unsuitable for drug development. Nonetheless, they could be useful as chemical probes for protein synthesis inhibitors due to their direct impact on parasite synthesis processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prakash
T. Parvatkar
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern
University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Steven P. Maher
- Center
for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Yingzhao Zhao
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern
University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Caitlin A. Cooper
- Center
for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Sagan T. de Castro
- Center
for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Julie Péneau
- Malaria
Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur
du Cambodge, 5 Boulevard Monivong, PO Box 983, Phnom Penh, 120 210, Cambodia
| | - Amélie Vantaux
- Malaria
Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur
du Cambodge, 5 Boulevard Monivong, PO Box 983, Phnom Penh, 120 210, Cambodia
| | - Benoît Witkowski
- Malaria
Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur
du Cambodge, 5 Boulevard Monivong, PO Box 983, Phnom Penh, 120 210, Cambodia
| | - Dennis E. Kyle
- Center
for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
| | - Roman Manetsch
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern
University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Department
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern
University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Center
for Drug Discovery, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Barnett
Institute
of Chemical and Biological Analysis, Northeastern
University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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46
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Andrade C, Sousa BKDP, Sigurdardóttir S, Bourgard C, Borba J, Clementino L, Salazar-Alvarez LC, Groustra S, Zigweid R, Khim M, Staker B, Costa F, Eriksson L, Sunnerhagen P. Selective Bias Virtual Screening for Discovery of Promising Antimalarial Candidates targeting Plasmodium N-Myristoyltransferase. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3963523. [PMID: 38463971 PMCID: PMC10925453 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3963523/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Malaria remains a significant public health challenge, with Plasmodium vivax being the species responsible for the most prevalent form of the disease. Given the limited therapeutic options available, the search for new antimalarials against P. vivax is urgent. This study aims to identify new inhibitors for P. vivax N-myristoyltransferase (PvNMT), an essential drug target against malaria. Through a validated virtual screening campaign, we prioritized 23 candidates for further testing. In the yeast NMT system, seven compounds exhibit a potential inhibitor phenotype. In vitro antimalarial phenotypic assays confirmed the activity of four candidates while demonstrating an absence of cytotoxicity. Enzymatic assays reveal LabMol-394 as the most promising inhibitor, displaying selectivity against the parasite and a strong correlation within the yeast system. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations shed some light into its binding mode. This study constitutes a substantial contribution to the exploration of a selective quinoline scaffold and provides valuable insights into the development of new antimalarial candidates.
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Dembélé P, Cissoko M, Diarra AZ, Doumbia L, Koné A, Magassa MH, Mehadji M, Thera MA, Ranque S. Evaluation of the Performance of Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Malaria Diagnosis and Mapping of Different Plasmodium Species in Mali. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 21:228. [PMID: 38397717 PMCID: PMC10888130 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21020228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The first-line diagnosis of malaria in Mali is based on the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) that detect the Histidin Rich Protein 2 (HRP2) antigen specific to Plasmodium falciparum. Our study, based on a real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) gold standard, aimed to describe the distribution of the Plasmodium species in each administrative region of Mali and to assess the performance of RDTs. METHODS We randomly selected 150 malaria-negative and up to 30 malaria-positive RDTs in 41 sites distributed in 9 regions of Mali. DNA extracted from the RDT nitrocellulose strip was assayed with a pan-Plasmodium qPCR. Positive samples were then analyzed with P. falciparum-, P. malariae-, P. vivax-, or P. ovale-specific qPCRs. RESULTS Of the 1496 RDTs, 258 (18.6%) were positive for Plasmodium spp., of which 96.9% were P. falciparum. The P. vivax prevalence reached 21.1% in the north. RDT displayed acceptable diagnostic indices; the lower CI95% bounds of Youden indices were all ≥0.50, except in the north (Youden index 0.66 (95% CI [0.44-0.82]) and 0.63 (95% CI [0.33-0.83]. CONCLUSIONS Overall, RDT diagnostic indices are adequate for the biological diagnosis of malaria in Mali. We recommend the use of RDTs detecting P. vivax-specific antigens in the north.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Dembélé
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU), Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France; (P.D.); (A.Z.D.); (L.D.); (M.M.)
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, 13005 Marseille, France
- Programme National de Lutte Contre le Paludisme (PNLP), Bamako BP 233, Mali; (M.C.); (M.H.M.)
| | - Mady Cissoko
- Programme National de Lutte Contre le Paludisme (PNLP), Bamako BP 233, Mali; (M.C.); (M.H.M.)
- Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC), FMOS-FAPH, Mali-NIAID-ICER, Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako, Bamako BP 1805, Mali;
| | - Adama Zan Diarra
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU), Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France; (P.D.); (A.Z.D.); (L.D.); (M.M.)
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Lassana Doumbia
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU), Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France; (P.D.); (A.Z.D.); (L.D.); (M.M.)
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Appliquée (LBMA), Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako, Badalabougou, Bamako BP 423, Mali;
| | - Aïssata Koné
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Appliquée (LBMA), Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako, Badalabougou, Bamako BP 423, Mali;
| | - Mahamadou H. Magassa
- Programme National de Lutte Contre le Paludisme (PNLP), Bamako BP 233, Mali; (M.C.); (M.H.M.)
| | - Maissane Mehadji
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU), Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France; (P.D.); (A.Z.D.); (L.D.); (M.M.)
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Mahamadou A. Thera
- Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC), FMOS-FAPH, Mali-NIAID-ICER, Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako, Bamako BP 1805, Mali;
| | - Stéphane Ranque
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU), Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France; (P.D.); (A.Z.D.); (L.D.); (M.M.)
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Meier-Scherling CPG, Watson OJ, Asua V, Ghinai I, Katairo T, Garg S, Conrad M, Rosenthal PJ, Okell LC, Bailey JA. Selection of artemisinin partial resistance Kelch13 mutations in Uganda in 2016-22 was at a rate comparable to that seen previously in South-East Asia. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.02.03.24302209. [PMID: 38352505 PMCID: PMC10862983 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.03.24302209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Background Artemisinin partial resistance, mediated by mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum Kelch13 protein (K13), rapidly spread in South-East Asia (SEA), undermining antimalarial efficacies of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT). Validated K13 mutations have recently arisen in Africa, but rates of increase are not well characterized. Methods We investigated K13 mutation prevalence at 16 sites in Uganda (2016-2022, 6586 samples), and five sites in SEA (2003-2018, 5465 samples) by calculating selection coefficients using Bayesian mixed-effect linear models. We then tested whether SEA K13 mutation prevalence could have been forecast accurately using up to the first five years of available data and forecast future K13 mutation prevalence in Uganda. Findings The selection coefficient for the prevalence of relevant K13 mutations (441L, 469F/Y, 561H, 675V) was estimated at s=0·383 (95% CrI: 0·247 - 0·528) per year, a 38% relative prevalence increase. Selection coefficients across Uganda were s=0·968 (0·463 - 1·569) for 441L, s=0·153 (-0·445 - 0·727) for 469F, s=0·222 (-0·011 - 0·398) for 469Y, and s=0·152 (-0·023 - 0·312) for 675V. In SEA, the selection coefficient was s=-0·005 (-0·852 - 0·814) for 539T, s=0·574 (-0·092 - 1·201) for 580Y, and s=0·308 (0·089 - 0·536) for all validated K13 mutations. Forecast prevalences for Uganda assuming constant selection neared fixation (>95% prevalence) within a decade (2028-2033) for combined K13 mutations. Interpretation The selection of K13 mutations in Uganda was at a comparable rate to that observed in SEA, suggesting K13 mutations may continue to increase quickly in Uganda. Funding NIH R01AI156267, R01AI075045, and R01AI089674.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Oliver J Watson
- Medical Research Council Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Victor Asua
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Thomas Katairo
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Shreeya Garg
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Melissa Conrad
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Philip J. Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Lucy C Okell
- Medical Research Council Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Jeffrey A. Bailey
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, RI, USA
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49
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Rohlfing AK, Kremser M, Schaale D, Dicenta-Baunach V, Laspa Z, Fu X, Zizmare L, Sigle M, Harm T, Münzer P, Pelzer A, Borst O, Trautwein C, Feil R, Müller K, Castor T, Lämmerhofer M, Gawaz MP. cGMP modulates hemin-mediated platelet death. Thromb Res 2024; 234:63-74. [PMID: 38171216 DOI: 10.1016/j.thromres.2023.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Hemolysis is a known risk factor for thrombosis resulting in critical limb ischemia and microcirculatory disturbance and organ failure. Intravasal hemolysis may lead to life-threatening complications due to uncontrolled thrombo-inflammation. Until now, conventional antithrombotic therapies failed to control development and progression of these thrombotic events. Thus, the pathophysiology of these thrombotic events needs to be investigated to unravel underlying pathways and thereby identify targets for novel treatment strategies. METHODS Here we used classical experimental set-ups as well as high-end flow cytometry, metabolomics and lipidomic analysis to in-depth analyze the effects of hemin on platelet physiology and morphology. RESULTS Hemin does strongly and swiftly induce platelet activation and this process is modulated by the sGC-cGMP-cGKI signaling axis. cGMP modulation also reduced the pro-aggregatory potential of plasma derived from patients with hemolysis. Furthermore, hemin-induced platelet death evokes distinct platelet subpopulations. Typical cell death markers, such as ROS, were induced by hemin-stimulation and the platelet lipidome was specifically altered by high hemin concentration. Specifically, arachidonic acid derivates, such as PGE2, TXB2 or 12-HHT, were significantly increased. Balancing the cGMP levels by modulation of the sGC-cGMP-cGKI axis diminished the ferroptotic effect of hemin. CONCLUSION We found that cGMP modulates hemin-induced platelet activation and thrombus formation in vitro and cGMP effects hemin-mediated platelet death and changes in the platelet lipidome. Thus, it is tempting to speculate that modulating platelet cGMP levels may be a novel strategy to control thrombosis and critical limb ischemia in patients with hemolytic crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Katrin Rohlfing
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Marcel Kremser
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - David Schaale
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Valerie Dicenta-Baunach
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Zoi Laspa
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Xiaoqing Fu
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Laimdota Zizmare
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department for Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, University Tübingen, Röntgenweg 13, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Manuel Sigle
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Tobias Harm
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Patrick Münzer
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; DFG Heisenberg Group Cardiovascular Thrombo-inflammation and Translational Thrombocardiology, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Andreas Pelzer
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Oliver Borst
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; DFG Heisenberg Group Cardiovascular Thrombo-inflammation and Translational Thrombocardiology, University of Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Christoph Trautwein
- Werner Siemens Imaging Center, Department for Preclinical Imaging and Radiopharmacy, University Tübingen, Röntgenweg 13, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Robert Feil
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 34, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Karin Müller
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Tatsiana Castor
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Michael Lämmerhofer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, University Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 8, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Meinrad P Gawaz
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Tübingen, University Tübingen, Otfried-Müller-Straße 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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50
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Olejarz JW, Nowak MA. Gene drives for the extinction of wild metapopulations. J Theor Biol 2024; 577:111654. [PMID: 37984587 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2023.111654] [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: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Population-suppressing gene drives may be capable of extinguishing wild populations, with proposed applications in conservation, agriculture, and public health. However, unintended and potentially disastrous consequences of release of drive-engineered individuals are extremely difficult to predict. We propose a model for the dynamics of a sex ratio-biasing drive, and using simulations, we show that failure of the suppression drive is often a natural outcome due to stochastic and spatial effects. We further demonstrate rock-paper-scissors dynamics among wild-type, drive-infected, and extinct populations that can persist for arbitrarily long times. Gene drive-mediated extinction of wild populations entails critical complications that lurk far beyond the reach of laboratory-based studies. Our findings help in addressing these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason W Olejarz
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Department of Mathematics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Martin A Nowak
- Department of Mathematics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA; Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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