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González-Matos M, Aguado ME, Izquierdo M, Monzote L, González-Bacerio J. Compounds with potentialities as novel chemotherapeutic agents in leishmaniasis at preclinical level. Exp Parasitol 2024; 260:108747. [PMID: 38518969 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108747] [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: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis are neglected infectious diseases caused by kinetoplastid protozoan parasites from the genus Leishmania. These sicknesses are present mainly in tropical regions and almost 1 million new cases are reported each year. The absence of vaccines, as well as the high cost, toxicity or resistance to the current drugs determines the necessity of new treatments against these pathologies. In this review, several compounds with potentialities as new antileishmanial drugs are presented. The discussion is restricted to the preclinical level and molecules are organized according to their chemical nature, source and molecular targets. In this manner, we present antimicrobial peptides, flavonoids, withanolides, 8-aminoquinolines, compounds from Leish-Box, pyrazolopyrimidines, and inhibitors of tubulin polymerization/depolymerization, topoisomerase IB, proteases, pteridine reductase, N-myristoyltransferase, as well as enzymes involved in polyamine metabolism, response against oxidative stress, signaling pathways, and sterol biosynthesis. This work is a contribution to the general knowledge of these compounds as antileishmanial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maikel González-Matos
- Center for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Calle 25 #455 Entre I y J, Vedado, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Mirtha Elisa Aguado
- Center for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Calle 25 #455 Entre I y J, Vedado, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Maikel Izquierdo
- Center for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Calle 25 #455 Entre I y J, Vedado, La Habana, Cuba
| | - Lianet Monzote
- Department of Parasitology, Center for Research, Diagnosis and Reference, Tropical Medicine Institute "Pedro Kourí", Autopista Novia Del Mediodía Km 6½, La Lisa, La Habana, Cuba.
| | - Jorge González-Bacerio
- Center for Protein Studies, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Calle 25 #455 Entre I y J, Vedado, La Habana, Cuba; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Calle 25 #455 Entre I y J, Vedado, La Habana, Cuba.
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Dos Santos Rosa A, Frauches-Santos C, Santana RC, Gomes JSC, Lima K, Echevarria A, Saraiva E, Decote-Ricardo D, Atella G, Pinto-da-Silva LH. Leishmanicidal effect of 1,3,4-thiadiazolium mesoionic salts on Leishmania amazonensis in vitro. Parasitol Int 2021; 83:102342. [PMID: 33831578 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2021.102342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a neglected broad clinical spectrum disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, which affect millions of people annually in the world and the treatment has severe side effects and resistant strains have been reported. Mesoionic salts are a subclass of the betaine group with extensive biological activity such as microbicide and anti-inflammatory In this work, we analyze the cytotoxic effects of mesoionic salts, 4-phenyl-5-(X-phenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazolium-2-phenylamine chloride (X = 4 Cl; 3,4 diCl and 3,4 diF), on Leishmania amazonensis in vitro. Initially, Mesoionic salts toxicity were evaluated by XTT assay on L. amazonensis promastigotes. Our results show that the mesoionic salts MI-3,4 diCl, MI-4 Cl and MI-3,4 diF were toxic to the promastigote parasite with IC50 values of 14.3, 40.1 and 61.8 μM, respectively. The amastigote survival was evaluated in treated infected-macrophages, and the results demonstrate that MI-4 Cl (IC50 = 33 μM) and MI-3,4 diCl (IC50 = 43 μM) have a toxic effect against these forms. None of the mesoionic compounds tested present host cell toxicity up to the tested concentration of 100 μM. The selectivity index for MI-3,4 diCl and MI-4 Cl were 3.94 and 6.97, respectively. Nitric oxide (NO) production assayed by Griess reagent, in LPS-activated macrophages or not, in the presence of the salts showed that only the MI-3,4 diCl compound reduced NO levels. Lipid profile analysis of treated-promastigotes showed no alteration of neutral lipids. Evaluation of mitochondrial membrane potential (∆Ψm) showed that the MI-4Cl compound was able to reduce (∆Ψm) by 50%. Therefore, our results suggest that the chlorinated compounds are promising biomolecules, which cause inhibition of L.amazonensis promastigotes, amastigotes, leading to mitochondrial damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Dos Santos Rosa
- Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Raissa Couto Santana
- Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil
| | - Janice S C Gomes
- Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Karoline Lima
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Aurea Echevarria
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil
| | - Elvira Saraiva
- Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Debora Decote-Ricardo
- Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil
| | - Georgia Atella
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Lucia H Pinto-da-Silva
- Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil.
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Ferreira-Paes T, Charret KDS, Ribeiro MRDS, Rodrigues RF, Leon LL. Comparative analysis of biological aspects of Leishmania infantum strains. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230545. [PMID: 33270636 PMCID: PMC7714135 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmania infantum infantum (LII) is one of the species that causes visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the Old World, while L. infantum chagasi (LIC) is present in the New World. Few studies address biological differences or the behavior of these strains during infection. These parasites live inside cells of their hosts, continuously evading microbicidal mechanisms and modulating the immune responses of these cells. One of the mechanisms used by these protozoa involves the L-arginine metabolism. Understanding the differences between Leishmania species and establishing an improved murine model for study of leishmaniasis are matters of extreme importance. Thereby, the objectives of this work were to analyze the biological and molecular differences between two Leishmania infantum strains (LII and LIC) and the degree of susceptibility to infection of mice with different genetic backgrounds. The infectivity in vivo and in vitro of LII and LIC strains was evaluated in BALB/c and Swiss Webster mice, as well the NOS and ARG activities. The LII strain was more infective than the LIC strain both in vivo and in vitro. In animals infected by the LII and LIC strains, differences in NOS and ARG activities occurred. In vitro, promastigotes of LII isolated from BALB/c and Swiss Webster mice showed higher ARG activity than LIC promastigotes during the growth curve. However, no difference was observed in intracellular NO production by promastigotes of these strains. The ARG gene sequences were compared, and those of both strains were identical. However, despite the similarity, the strains showed different expression levels of this gene. It can be concluded that although L. chagasi strains are considered identical to L. infantum strains from a molecular point of view, these strains have different biological behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taiana Ferreira-Paes
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Karen dos Santos Charret
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Raquel Ferreira Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leonor Laura Leon
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- * E-mail:
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Serban G. Future Prospects in the Treatment of Parasitic Diseases: 2-Amino-1,3,4-Thiadiazoles in Leishmaniasis. Molecules 2019; 24:E1557. [PMID: 31010226 PMCID: PMC6514673 DOI: 10.3390/molecules24081557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 04/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases affect the lives of a billion people worldwide. Among them, the parasitic infections caused by protozoan parasites of the Trypanosomatidae family have a huge impact on human health. Leishmaniasis, caused by Leishmania spp., is an endemic parasitic disease in over 88 countries and is closely associated with poverty. Although significant advances have been made in the treatment of leishmaniasis over the last decade, currently available chemotherapy is far from satisfactory. The lack of an approved vaccine, effective medication and significant drug resistance worldwide had led to considerable interest in discovering new, inexpensive, efficient and safe antileishmanial agents. 1,3,4-Thiadiazole rings are found in biologically active natural products and medicinally important synthetic compounds. The thiadiazole ring exhibits several specific properties: it is a bioisostere of pyrimidine or benzene rings with prevalence in biologically active compounds; the sulfur atom increases lipophilicity and combined with the mesoionic character of thiadiazoles imparts good oral absorption and good cell permeability, resulting in good bioavailability. This review presents synthetic 2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives with antileishmanial activity. Many reported derivatives can be considered as lead compounds for the synthesis of future agents as an alternative to the treatment of leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgeta Serban
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, 29 Nicolae Jiga, 410028 Oradea, Romania.
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Soares-Bezerra RJ, Leon LL, Echevarria A, Reis CM, Gomes-Silva L, Agostinho CG, Fernandes RA, Canto-Cavalheiro MM, Genestra MS. In vitro evaluation of 4-phenyl-5-(4′-X-phenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazolium-2-phenylaminide chlorides and 3[N-4′-X-phenyl]-1,2,3-oxadiazolium-5-olate derivatives on nitric oxide synthase and arginase activities of Leishmania amazonensis. Exp Parasitol 2013; 135:50-4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2013.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2011] [Revised: 04/16/2013] [Accepted: 05/05/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Synthesis, antileishmanial activity and structure–activity relationship of 1-N-X-phenyl-3-N′-Y-phenyl-benzamidines. Eur J Med Chem 2013; 67:166-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2013.06.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Revised: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Soares RO, Echevarria A, Bellieny MS, Pinho RT, de Leo RM, Seguins WS, Machado GM, Canto-Cavalheiro MM, Leon LL. Evaluation of thiosemicarbazones and semicarbazones as potential agents anti-Trypanosoma cruzi. Exp Parasitol 2011; 129:381-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2011.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2011] [Revised: 08/29/2011] [Accepted: 08/31/2011] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Antileishmanial activity of 1,3,4-thiadiazolium-2-aminide in mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2008; 53:839-42. [PMID: 19015338 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00062-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The efficacy of two mesoionic derivatives (MI-H-H and MI-4-OCH(3)) was evaluated in CBA/J mice infected with Leishmania amazonensis. Treatment with these compounds demonstrated that the MI-4-OCH(3) derivative and the reference drug meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime) presented significant activity relative to an untreated control. No apparent hepatic or renal toxicity due to these mesoionic compounds was found.
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Genestra M, Soares-Bezerra RJ, Gomes-Silva L, Fabrino DL, Bellato-Santos T, Castro-Pinto DB, Canto-Cavalheiro MM, Leon LL. In vitro sodium nitroprusside-mediated toxicity towards Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes and axenic amastigotes. Cell Biochem Funct 2008; 26:709-17. [PMID: 18720423 DOI: 10.1002/cbf.1496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Leishmania parasites survive despite exposure to the toxic nitrosative oxidants during phagocytosis by the host cell. In this work, the authors investigated comparatively the resistance of Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes and axenic amastigotes to a relatively strong nitrosating agent that acts as a nitric oxide (NO) donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Results demonstrate that SNP is able to decrease, in vitro, the number of L. amazonensis promastigotes and axenic amastigotes in a dose-dependent maner. Promastigotes, cultured in the presence of 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mmol L(-1) SNP for 24 h showed about 75% growth inhibition, and 97-100% when the cultures were treated with >2 mmol L(-1) SNP. In contrast, when axenic amastigotes were growing in the presence of 0.25-8 mM SNP added to the culture medium, 50% was the maximum of growth inhibition observed. Treated promastigotes presented reduced motility and became round in shape further confirming the leishmanicidal activity of SNP. On the other hand, axenic amastigotes, besides being much more resistant to SNP-mediated cytotoxicity, did not show marked morphological alteration when incubated for 24 h, until 8 mM concentrations of this nitrosating agent were used. The cytotoxicity toward L. amazonensis was attenuated by reduced glutathione (GSH), supporting the view that SNP-mediated toxicity triggered multiple oxidative mechanisms, including oxidation of thiols groups and metal-independent oxidation of biomolecules to free radical intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Genestra
- Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation-FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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