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Mandal SK, Mukherjee N, Ray AS, Hazra S, Saha S, Das S, Joardar N, Saha S, Sinha Babu SP, Rahaman CH. An ethnopharmacological approach to evaluate antiparasitic and health-promoting abilities of Pueraria tuberosa (Willd.) DC. in livestock. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0305667. [PMID: 39028725 PMCID: PMC11259309 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305667] [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: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024] Open
Abstract
In eastern India, the tubers of Pueraria tuberosa (Willd.) DC. are used by the ethnic communities for its wide range of medicinal and nutritional value, especially to rejuvenate livestock health and to treat helminthiasis. The study is aimed to evaluate the ethnoveterinary medicinal importance of P. tuberosa as anthelmintic, to verify its nontoxic nature and identify the most potent phytoconstituents aided by in silico molecular docking technique. Ethnomedicinal data collected from 185 informants were quantitatively analyzed employing eight quantitative indices to highlight the use diversity and most frequently used part of the plant. High scores of certain indices employed, such as Use Value (UV = 0.52), Fidelity Level (FL = 68.42%) and Tissue Importance Value (TIV = 1) clearly illustrate an ethnomedicinal lead regarding medico-nutritional benefits of the tuber part used against intestinal helminthic diseases of veterinary animals. Based on this ethno-guided lead, root tuber has been investigated for its chemical profiling by the estimation of total phenolics, flavonoids, tannins and alkaloids, along with HPLC and GC-MS analyses. Anthelmintic property was evaluated with the tuber extracts by in vitro studies on some helminths of livestock and poultry birds, and it showed promising results against the tested parasites namely Cotylophoron cotylophorum, Raillietina tetragona and Setaria cervi. Toxicity assessments of tuber extract through in vitro and in vivo methods were performed using Vero cells and BALB/c mice. Nontoxic nature of the studied tuber extract was observed even in higher experimental doses. Out of 12 phytocompounds identified by GC-MS analysis, one compound [Morphinan-4,5-epoxy-3,6-di-ol,6- (7-nitrobenzofurazan-4-yl) amino-] exhibited the best binding conformations in cost of the lowest binding energy values with six target proteins that include one anti-inflammatory, one antioxidant, and four anthelmintic proteins. The findings of our study are found very encouraging to evaluate this tuber drug furthermore intensively towards the development of anthelmintic veterinary medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suman Kalyan Mandal
- Ethnopharmacology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, India
| | - Niladri Mukherjee
- Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, India
| | - Anindya Sundar Ray
- Ethnopharmacology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, India
| | - Samik Hazra
- Ethnopharmacology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, India
| | - Sathi Saha
- Ethnopharmacology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, India
| | - Swetarka Das
- Division of Microbiology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Nikhilesh Joardar
- Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, India
| | - Saradindu Saha
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India
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Murthy PK, Tewari P, Mandal P, Kushwaha V. Immune Response Profiling of Cocktails of Brugia malayi Vaccine Candidates DIM-1, Calponin and Troponin 1 in BALB/c Mice. Acta Parasitol 2023; 68:929-936. [PMID: 37935895 DOI: 10.1007/s11686-023-00725-7] [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: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE In search of a vaccine for the control of human lymphatic filariasis (LF) caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi and B. timori, we identified three parasite-specific potential candidates: the disorganized muscle protein-1 (D), calponin (C) and troponin 1 (T) in B. malayi adult worm. In the present study, we investigated the immune response profile of the cocktails of the recombinant D, T and C proteins. METHODS Groups of BALB/c mice were immunized with individual rproteins or their cocktails DT, TC, DC and DTC, and the immunogen-specific IgG and its subclasses and IgE were determined. Cells from the immunized animals were challenged in vitro with the respective rproteins and cocktails and the release of nitric oxide (NO) from macrophages and Th1 and Th2 cytokines from splenocytes were determined. RESULTS Among the immunized groups, DTC elicited comparatively a stronger response which included augmented release of NO, Th1 (IL-1β, IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF-α) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and TGF-β) cytokines, and increased levels of immunogen-specific IgG, IgG1 and IgG2b and low levels of immunogen-specific IgG2a and IgE and the Th2 cytokine IL-13. CONCLUSION Immune responses that play important role in host protection were elicited strongly by DTC cocktail compared to the individual rproteins or DT, TC and DC cocktails. The findings provide a sound rationale for further studies on DTC cocktail as a vaccine candidate for the control of LF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puvvada Kalpana Murthy
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lucknow, University Road, Lucknow, 226007, India.
- , M88/B-2, Jankipuram, Sitapur Road Yojna, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226021, India.
| | - Prachi Tewari
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lucknow, University Road, Lucknow, 226007, India
| | - Payal Mandal
- Food Drug and Chemical Toxicology Division, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Vishvigyan Bhawan, 31, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow-226001, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Vikas Kushwaha
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbial Biotechnology, Sri Guru Govind Singh College, Panjab University, Sector 25 (South Campus), Chandigarh, 160014, India
- Department of Biotechnology and Microbial Biotechnology, Sri Guru Govind Singh College, Sector 26, Chandigarh, 160019, India
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Williams PDE, Kashyap SS, Robertson AP, Martin RJ. Diethylcarbamazine elicits Ca 2+ signals through TRP-2 channels that are potentiated by emodepside in Brugia malayi muscles. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0041923. [PMID: 37728916 PMCID: PMC10583680 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00419-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Filarial nematode infections are a major health concern in several countries. Lymphatic filariasis is caused by Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia spp. affecting over 120 million people. Heavy infections can lead to elephantiasis, which has serious effects on individuals' lives. Although current anthelmintics are effective at killing microfilariae in the bloodstream, they have little to no effect against adult parasites found in the lymphatic system. The anthelmintic diethylcarbamazine is one of the central pillars of lymphatic filariasis control. Recent studies have reported that diethylcarbamazine can open transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in the muscles of adult female Brugia malayi, leading to contraction and paralysis. Diethylcarbamazine has synergistic effects in combination with emodepside on Brugia, inhibiting motility: emodepside is an anthelmintic that has effects on filarial nematodes and is under trial for the treatment of river blindness. Here, we have studied the effects of diethylcarbamazine on single Brugia muscle cells by measuring the change in Ca2+ fluorescence in the muscle using Ca2+-imaging techniques. Diethylcarbamazine interacts with the transient receptor potential channel, C classification (TRPC) ortholog receptor TRP-2 to promote Ca2+ entry into the Brugia muscle cells, which can activate Slopoke (SLO-1) Ca2+-activated K+ channels, the putative target of emodepside. A combination of diethylcarbamazine and emodepside leads to a bigger Ca2+ signal than when either compound is applied alone. Our study shows that diethylcarbamazine targets TRP channels to promote Ca2+ entry that is increased by emodepside activation of SLO-1 K+ channels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alan P. Robertson
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Richard J. Martin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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Williams PDE, Kashyap SS, Robertson AP, Martin RJ. Diethylcarbamazine elicits Ca 2+ signals through TRP-2 channels that are potentiated by emodepside in Brugia malayi muscles. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.10.536248. [PMID: 37090573 PMCID: PMC10120635 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.10.536248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Filarial nematode infections are a major health concern in several countries. Lymphatic filariasis is caused by Wucheria bancrofti and Brugia spp. affecting over 120 million people. Heavy infections can lead to elephantiasis having serious effects on individuals’ lives. Although current anthelmintics are effective at killing the microfilariae in the bloodstream, they have little to no effect against adult parasites found in the lymphatic system. The anthelmintic diethylcarbamazine is one of the central pillars of lymphatic filariasis control. Recent studies have reported that diethylcarbamazine can open Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels on the muscles of adult female Brugia malayi leading to contraction and paralysis. Diethylcarbamazine has synergistic effects in combination with emodepside on Brugia inhibiting motility: emodepside is an anthelmintic that has effects on filarial nematodes and is under trials for treatment of river blindness. Here we have studied the effects of diethylcarbamazine on single Brugia muscle cells by measuring the change in Ca 2+ fluorescence in the muscle using Ca 2+ -imaging techniques. Diethylcarbamazine interacts with the TRPC orthologue receptor TRP-2 to promote Ca 2+ entry into the Brugia muscle cells which can activate SLO-1 Ca 2+ activated K + channels, the putative target of emodepside. A combination of diethylcarbamazine and emodepside leads to a bigger Ca 2+ signal than when either compound is applied alone. Our study shows that diethylcarbamazine targets TRP channels to promote Ca 2+ entry that is increased by emodepside activation of SLO-1 channels.
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Madanagopal P, Muthusamy S, Pradhan SN, Prince PR. Construction and validation of a multi-epitope in silico vaccine model for lymphatic filariasis by targeting Brugia malayi: a reverse vaccinology approach. BULLETIN OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE 2023; 47:47. [PMID: 36987521 PMCID: PMC10037386 DOI: 10.1186/s42269-023-01013-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lymphatic filariasis (LF), often referred to as elephantiasis, has been identified as one of the 17 neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organization. Currently, there are no vaccines available to treat this infection in humans. Therefore, with the objective of devising a novel preventive measure, we exploited an immunoinformatics approach to design a multi-epitope-based subunit vaccine for LF, that can elicit a variety of immune responses within the host. In this study, different B cell, TC cell, and TH cell-binding epitopes were screened from the antigenic proteins of Brugia malayi and they were passed through several immunological filters to determine the optimal epitopes. RESULTS As a result, 15 CD8+, 3 CD4+, and 3 B cell epitopes were found to be prominent, antigenic, non-toxic, immunogenic and non-allergenic. The presence of conformational B cell epitopes and cytokine-inducing epitopes confirmed the humoral and cell-mediated immune response that would be triggered by the constructed vaccine model. Following that, the selected epitopes and TLR-4-specific adjuvant were ligated by appropriate peptide linkers to finalize the vaccine construct. Protein-protein docking of the vaccine structure with the TLR4 receptor predicted strong binding affinity and hence putatively confirms its ability to elicit an immune response. Further, the efficiency of the vaccine candidate to provide a long-lasting protective immunity was assessed by in silico immune simulation. The reverse translated vaccine sequence was also virtually cloned in the pET28a (+) plasmid after the optimization of the gene sequence. CONCLUSION So taken together, by monitoring the overall in silico assessment, we hypothesize that our engineered peptide vaccine could be a viable prophylactic approach in the development of vaccines against the threat of human lymphatic filariasis. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42269-023-01013-0.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Prabhu Rajaiah Prince
- Department of Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai, India
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI), University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Institute for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Structural Biology of Infection and Infammation, University of Hamburg, c/o DESY, 22603, Hamburg, Germany
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Hawryluk N, Robinson D, Shen Y, Kyne G, Bedore M, Menon S, Canan S, von Geldern T, Townson S, Gokool S, Ehrens A, Koschel M, Lhermitte-Vallarino N, Martin C, Hoerauf A, Hernandez G, Dalvie D, Specht S, Hübner MP, Scandale I. Discovery of Substituted Di(pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4-thiadiazol-5-amines as Novel Macrofilaricidal Compounds for the Treatment of Human Filarial Infections. J Med Chem 2022; 65:11388-11403. [PMID: 35972896 PMCID: PMC9421654 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00960] [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] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Filarial diseases, including lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, are considered among the most devastating of all tropical diseases, affecting about 145 million people worldwide. Efforts to control and eliminate onchocerciasis are impeded by a lack of effective treatments that target the adult filarial stage. Herein, we describe the discovery of a series of substituted di(pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4-thiadiazol-5-amines as novel macrofilaricides for the treatment of human filarial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Hawryluk
- Bristol Myers Squibb, San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | - Dale Robinson
- Bristol Myers Squibb, San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | - Yixing Shen
- Bristol Myers Squibb, San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | - Graham Kyne
- Zoetis, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001, United States
| | | | - Sanjay Menon
- Zoetis, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001, United States
| | - Stacie Canan
- Bristol Myers Squibb, San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | | | - Simon Townson
- Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, London HA1 3UJ, UK
| | - Suzanne Gokool
- Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, London HA1 3UJ, UK
| | - Alexandra Ehrens
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Marianne Koschel
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Nathaly Lhermitte-Vallarino
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM, UMR 7245), Muséum national d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris 75005, France
| | - Coralie Martin
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM, UMR 7245), Muséum national d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris 75005, France
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Deepak Dalvie
- Bristol Myers Squibb, San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | - Sabine Specht
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Geneva 1204, Switzerland
| | - Marc Peter Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology & Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Ivan Scandale
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Geneva 1204, Switzerland
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7
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Hawryluk N, Zhiru L, Carlow C, Gokool S, Townson S, Kreiss T, Chojnowski A, Prorok M, Siekierka J, Ehrens A, Koschel M, Lhermitte-Vallarino N, Martin C, Hoerauf A, Hernandez G, Canan S, Khetani V, Zeldis J, Specht S, Hübner MP, Scandale I. Filarial nematode phenotypic screening cascade to identify compounds with anti-parasitic activity for drug discovery optimization. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2022; 19:89-97. [PMID: 35834918 PMCID: PMC9278491 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2022.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Filarial diseases, including lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, are considered among the most devastating of all tropical diseases, affecting over 86 million people worldwide. To control and more rapidly eliminate onchocerciasis requires treatments that target the adult stage of the parasite. Drug discovery efforts are challenged by the lack of preclinical animal models using the human-pathogenic filariae, requiring the use of surrogate parasites for Onchocerca volvulus for both ex vivo and in vivo evaluation. Herein, we describe a platform utilizing phenotypic ex vivo assays consisting of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, microfilariae and adult filariae of the bovine filariae Onchocerca lienalis and Onchocerca gutturosa, respectively, as well as microfilariae and adult filariae of the feline filariae Brugia pahangi, the rodent filariae Litomosoides sigmodontis and the human-pathogenic filariae Brugia malayi to assess activity across various surrogate parasites. Utilization of those surrogate nematodes for phenotypic ex vivo assays in order to assess activity across various parasites led to the successful establishment of a screening cascade and identification of multiple compounds with potential macrofilaricidal activity and desirable physicochemical, MW = 200-400 and low lipophilicity, logP <4, and pharmacokinetic properties, rat and human liver S9 stability of ≥70% remaining at 60 min, and AUC exposures above 3 μM h. This platform demonstrated the successful establishment of a screening cascade which resulted in the discovery of potential novel macrofilaricidal compounds for futher drug discovery lead optimization efforts. This screening cascade identified two distinct chemical series wherein one compound produced a significant 68% reduction of adult Litomosoides sigmodontis in the mouse model. Successful demonstration of efficacy prompted lead optimization medicinal chemistry efforts for this novel series.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Li Zhiru
- New England Biolabs, Ipswich, MA, USA
| | | | - Suzanne Gokool
- Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, London, UK
| | - Simon Townson
- Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research, London, UK
| | - Tamara Kreiss
- Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
| | - Agnieszka Chojnowski
- Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
| | - Monika Prorok
- Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
| | - John Siekierka
- Sokol Institute of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
| | - Alexandra Ehrens
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marianne Koschel
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Coralie Martin
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM, UMR 7245), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Sabine Specht
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany; Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marc P Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ivan Scandale
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Geneva, Switzerland
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8
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Airs PM, Vaccaro K, Gallo KJ, Dinguirard N, Heimark ZW, Wheeler NJ, He J, Weiss KR, Schroeder NE, Huisken J, Zamanian M. Spatial transcriptomics reveals antiparasitic targets associated with essential behaviors in the human parasite Brugia malayi. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010399. [PMID: 35390105 PMCID: PMC9017939 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a chronic debilitating neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by mosquito-transmitted nematodes that afflicts over 60 million people. Control of LF relies on routine mass drug administration with antiparasitics that clear circulating larval parasites but are ineffective against adults. The development of effective adulticides is hampered by a poor understanding of the processes and tissues driving parasite survival in the host. The adult filariae head region contains essential tissues that control parasite feeding, sensory, secretory, and reproductive behaviors, which express promising molecular substrates for the development of antifilarial drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics. We have adapted spatial transcriptomic approaches to map gene expression patterns across these prioritized but historically intractable head tissues. Spatial and tissue-resolved data reveal distinct biases in the origins of known drug targets and secreted antigens. These data were used to identify potential new drug and vaccine targets, including putative hidden antigens expressed in the alimentary canal, and to spatially associate receptor subunits belonging to druggable families. Spatial transcriptomic approaches provide a powerful resource to aid gene function inference and seed antiparasitic discovery pipelines across helminths of relevance to human and animal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M. Airs
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Kathy Vaccaro
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Kendra J. Gallo
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Nathalie Dinguirard
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Zachary W. Heimark
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Nicolas J. Wheeler
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Jiaye He
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Kurt R. Weiss
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Nathan E. Schroeder
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Crop Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jan Huisken
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Mostafa Zamanian
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Zhan B, Bottazzi ME, Hotez PJ, Lustigman S. Advancing a Human Onchocerciasis Vaccine From Antigen Discovery to Efficacy Studies Against Natural Infection of Cattle With Onchocerca ochengi. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:869039. [PMID: 35444961 PMCID: PMC9015098 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.869039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Human onchocerciasis is a devastating neglected tropical disease caused by infection of the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus. The infection can cause irreversible visual impairment or blindness and stigmatizing dermatitis. More than 32 million people were estimated to be infected with O. volvulus in Africa, and 385,000 suffered from blindness. Even though the implementation of mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin has reduced the global prevalence of onchocerciasis, O. volvulus infection remains challenging to control because MDA with ivermectin cannot be implemented in endemic areas co-endemic with loiasis due to the risk of severe adverse events. There is also emerging drug resistance to ivermectin that further complicates the elimination of onchocerciasis. Thus, the development of a vaccine that would induce protective immunity and reduce infection burden is essential. Efforts to develop prophylactic and/or therapeutic vaccines for onchocerciasis have been explored since the late 1980s by many researchers and entities, and here we summarize the recent advances made in the development of vaccines against the infection of O. volvulus and onchocerciasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Zhan
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Maria Elena Bottazzi
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Peter J. Hotez
- Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, NY, United States
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Macháček T, Leontovyč R, Šmídová B, Majer M, Vondráček O, Vojtěchová I, Petrásek T, Horák P. Mechanisms of the host immune response and helminth-induced pathology during Trichobilharzia regenti (Schistosomatidae) neuroinvasion in mice. PLoS Pathog 2022; 18:e1010302. [PMID: 35120185 PMCID: PMC8849443 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Helminth neuroinfections represent serious medical conditions, but the diversity of the host-parasite interplay within the nervous tissue often remains poorly understood, partially due to the lack of laboratory models. Here, we investigated the neuroinvasion of the mouse spinal cord by Trichobilharzia regenti (Schistosomatidae). Active migration of T. regenti schistosomula through the mouse spinal cord induced motor deficits in hindlimbs but did not affect the general locomotion or working memory. Histological examination of the infected spinal cord revealed eosinophilic meningomyelitis with eosinophil-rich infiltrates entrapping the schistosomula. Flow cytometry and transcriptomic analysis of the spinal cord confirmed massive activation of the host immune response. Of note, we recorded striking upregulation of the major histocompatibility complex II pathway and M2-associated markers, such as arginase or chitinase-like 3. Arginase also dominated the proteins found in the microdissected tissue from the close vicinity of the migrating schistosomula, which unselectively fed on the host nervous tissue. Next, we evaluated the pathological sequelae of T. regenti neuroinvasion. While no demyelination or blood-brain barrier alterations were noticed, our transcriptomic data revealed a remarkable disruption of neurophysiological functions not yet recorded in helminth neuroinfections. We also detected DNA fragmentation at the host-schistosomulum interface, but schistosomula antigens did not affect the viability of neurons and glial cells in vitro. Collectively, altered locomotion, significant disruption of neurophysiological functions, and strong M2 polarization were the most prominent features of T. regenti neuroinvasion, making it a promising candidate for further neuroinfection research. Indeed, understanding the diversity of pathogen-related neuroinflammatory processes is a prerequisite for developing better protective measures, treatment strategies, and diagnostic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Macháček
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- * E-mail:
| | - Roman Leontovyč
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Barbora Šmídová
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Martin Majer
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Oldřich Vondráček
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Iveta Vojtěchová
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Tomáš Petrásek
- National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czechia
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology of Memory, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Petr Horák
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
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11
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Risch F, Ritter M, Hoerauf A, Hübner MP. Human filariasis-contributions of the Litomosoides sigmodontis and Acanthocheilonema viteae animal model. Parasitol Res 2021; 120:4125-4143. [PMID: 33547508 PMCID: PMC8599372 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-07026-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Filariae are vector-borne parasitic nematodes that are endemic worldwide, in tropical and subtropical regions. Important human filariae spp. include Onchocerca volvulus, Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia spp., and Loa loa and Mansonella spp. causing onchocerciasis (river blindness), lymphatic filariasis (lymphedema and hydrocele), loiasis (eye worm), and mansonelliasis, respectively. It is estimated that over 1 billion individuals live in endemic regions where filarial diseases are a public health concern contributing to significant disability adjusted life years (DALYs). Thus, efforts to control and eliminate filarial diseases were already launched by the WHO in the 1970s, especially against lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, and are mainly based on mass drug administration (MDA) of microfilaricidal drugs (ivermectin, diethylcarbamazine, albendazole) to filarial endemic areas accompanied with vector control strategies with the goal to reduce the transmission. With the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it was decided to eliminate transmission of onchocerciasis and stop lymphatic filariasis as a public health problem by 2030. It was also requested that novel drugs and treatment strategies be developed. Mouse models provide an important platform for anti-filarial drug research in a preclinical setting. This review presents an overview about the Litomosoides sigmodontis and Acanthocheilonema viteae filarial mouse models and their role in immunological research as well as preclinical studies about novel anti-filarial drugs and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederic Risch
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Manuel Ritter
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marc P Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany.
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12
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Chavda VP, Pandya A, Pulakkat S, Soniwala M, Patravale V. Lymphatic filariasis vaccine development: neglected for how long? Expert Rev Vaccines 2021; 20:1471-1482. [PMID: 34633881 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2021.1990760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Lymphatic filariasis (LF), also known as elephantiasis, has been recognized by the world health organization and the centers for disease control and prevention as one of the neglected tropical diseases. The huge prevalence and risk of manifestation to date reflect the poor management of this disease. The disease poses vast public health and socio-economic burdens and generates a dire need for the development of a prophylactic solution for mass administration. AREAS COVERED Vaccination has been a sought-out strategy for dealing with ever-evolving infectious diseases and can be duly tuned to become a cost effective means of disease control and eventual eradication. In this review, we highlight the epidemiology of LF with the current diagnosis and treatment modules. The need for the development of a potential vaccine candidates, and challenges are discussed. The evidence presented in this review aims to enlighten the readers regarding the essential factors governing LF and its management using prophylactic measures. EXPERT OPINION The complex nature of filarial parasites is evident from the absence of a single vaccine for LF. The development and selection of an appropriate preclinical model and its translation into clinical practice is deemed to be a major task needing in-depth evaluation to formulate an effective vaccine. Explorations of the existing vaccine platforms would serve to be an apt strategy in this direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek P Chavda
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, L M College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad, India
| | - Anjali Pandya
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India
| | - Sreeranjini Pulakkat
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India
| | - Moinuddin Soniwala
- Department of Pharmaceutics, B K Modi Government Pharmacy College, Rajkot, India
| | - Vandana Patravale
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India
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13
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Ngwewondo A, Scandale I, Specht S. Onchocerciasis drug development: from preclinical models to humans. Parasitol Res 2021; 120:3939-3964. [PMID: 34642800 PMCID: PMC8599318 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07307-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Twenty diseases are recognized as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by World Health Assembly resolutions, including human filarial diseases. The end of NTDs is embedded within the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, under target 3.3. Onchocerciasis afflicts approximately 20.9 million people worldwide with > 90% of those infected residing in Africa. Control programs have made tremendous efforts in the management of onchocerciasis by mass drug administration and aerial larviciding; however, disease elimination is not yet achieved. In the new WHO roadmap, it is recognized that new drugs or drug regimens that kill or permanently sterilize adult filarial worms would significantly improve elimination timelines and accelerate the achievement of the program goal of disease elimination. Drug development is, however, handicapped by high attrition rates, and many promising molecules fail in preclinical development or in subsequent toxicological, safety and efficacy testing; thus, research and development (R&D) costs are, in aggregate, very high. Drug discovery and development for NTDs is largely driven by unmet medical needs put forward by the global health community; the area is underfunded and since no high return on investment is possible, there is no dedicated drug development pipeline for human filariasis. Repurposing existing drugs is one approach to filling the drug development pipeline for human filariasis. The high cost and slow pace of discovery and development of new drugs has led to the repurposing of “old” drugs, as this is more cost-effective and allows development timelines to be shortened. However, even if a drug is marketed for a human or veterinary indication, the safety margin and dosing regimen will need to be re-evaluated to determine the risk in humans. Drug repurposing is a promising approach to enlarging the pool of active molecules in the drug development pipeline. Another consideration when providing new treatment options is the use of combinations, which is not addressed in this review. We here summarize recent advances in the late preclinical or early clinical stage in the search for a potent macrofilaricide, including drugs against the nematode and against its endosymbiont, Wolbachia pipientis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adela Ngwewondo
- Centre of Medical Research, Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies (IMPM), P.O. Box13033, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Chemin Camille-Vidart 15, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ivan Scandale
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Chemin Camille-Vidart 15, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Specht
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Chemin Camille-Vidart 15, 1202, Geneva, Switzerland.
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14
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Kwarteng A, Asiedu E, Koranteng KK, Asiedu SO. Highlighting the Relevance of CD8 + T Cells in Filarial Infections. Front Immunol 2021; 12:714052. [PMID: 34603287 PMCID: PMC8481813 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.714052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The T cell immune responses in filarial infections are primarily mediated by CD4+ T cells and type 2-associated cytokines. Emerging evidence indicates that CD8+ T cell responses are important for anti-filarial immunity, however, could be suppressed in co-infections. This review summarizes what we know so far about the activities of CD8+ T cell responses in filarial infections, co-infections, and the associations with the development of filarial pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kwarteng
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Ebenezer Asiedu
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Kelvin Kwaku Koranteng
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Samuel Opoku Asiedu
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi, Ghana
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana
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15
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Perera DJ, Ndao M. Promising Technologies in the Field of Helminth Vaccines. Front Immunol 2021; 12:711650. [PMID: 34489961 PMCID: PMC8418310 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.711650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Helminths contribute a larger global burden of disease than both malaria and tuberculosis. These eukaryotes have caused human infections since before our earliest recorded history (i.e.: earlier than 1200 B.C. for Schistosoma spp.). Despite the prevalence and importance of these infections, helminths are considered a neglected tropical disease for which there are no vaccines approved for human use. Similar to other parasites, helminths are complex organisms which employ a plethora of features such as: complex life cycles, chronic infections, and antigenic mimicry to name a few, making them difficult to target by conventional vaccine strategies. With novel vaccine strategies such as viral vectors and genetic elements, numerous constructs are being defined for a wide range of helminth parasites; however, it has yet to be discussed which of these approaches may be the most effective. With human trials being conducted, and a pipeline of potential anti-helminthic antigens, greater understanding of helminth vaccine-induced immunity is necessary for the development of potent vaccine platforms and their optimal design. This review outlines the conventional and the most promising approaches in clinical and preclinical helminth vaccinology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilhan J. Perera
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Program of Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Momar Ndao
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Program of Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- National Reference Centre for Parasitology, Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
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16
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Hübner MP, Townson S, Gokool S, Tagboto S, Maclean MJ, Verocai GG, Wolstenholme AJ, Frohberger SJ, Hoerauf A, Specht S, Scandale I, Harder A, Glenschek-Sieberth M, Hahnel SR, Kulke D. Evaluation of the in vitro susceptibility of various filarial nematodes to emodepside. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2021; 17:27-35. [PMID: 34339934 PMCID: PMC8347670 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2021.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Filariae are vector-borne nematodes responsible for an enormous burden of disease. Human lymphatic filariasis, caused by Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori, and onchocerciasis (caused by Onchocerca volvulus) are neglected parasitic diseases of major public health significance in tropical regions. To date, therapeutic efforts to eliminate human filariasis have been hampered by the lack of a drug with sufficient macrofilaricidal and/or long-term sterilizing effects that is suitable for use in mass drug administration (MDA) programs, particularly in areas co-endemic with Loa loa, the causative agent of loiasis. Emodepside, a semi-synthetic cyclooctadepsipeptide, has been shown to have broad-spectrum efficacy against gastrointestinal nematodes in a variety of mammalian hosts, and has been approved as an active ingredient in dewormers for cats and dogs. This paper evaluates, compares (where appropriate) and summarizes the in vitro effects of emodepside against a range of filarial nematodes at various developmental stages. Emodepside inhibited the motility of all tested stages of filariae frequently used as surrogate species for preclinical investigations (Acanthocheilonema viteae, Brugia pahangi, Litomosoides sigmodontis, Onchocerca gutturosa, and Onchocerca lienalis), human-pathogenic filariae (B. malayi) and filariae of veterinary importance (Dirofilaria immitis) in a concentration-dependent manner. While motility of all filariae was inhibited, both stage- and species-specific differences were observed. However, whether these differences were detected because of stage- and/or species-specific factors or as a consequence of variations in protocol parameters among the participating laboratories (such as purification of the parasites, read-out units, composition of media, incubation conditions, duration of incubation etc.) remains unclear. This study, however, clearly shows that emodepside demonstrates broad-spectrum in vitro activity against filarial nematode species across different genera and can therefore be validated as a promising candidate for the treatment of human filariases, including onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc P Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Simon Townson
- Griffin Institute (formerly Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research), London, HA1 3UJ, United Kingdom.
| | - Suzanne Gokool
- Griffin Institute (formerly Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research), London, HA1 3UJ, United Kingdom.
| | - Senyo Tagboto
- Griffin Institute (formerly Northwick Park Institute for Medical Research), London, HA1 3UJ, United Kingdom.
| | - Mary J Maclean
- National Institutes of Health, National Eye Institute, Clinical and Translational Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunology, 10 Center Drive, Building 10, Room 10N113, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Guilherme G Verocai
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D.W. Brooks Drive, (current Address: INRAE Centre Val de Loire, 37380 Nouzilly, France), Athens, GA, 30602, USA; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4467 TAMU College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
| | - Adrian J Wolstenholme
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D.W. Brooks Drive, (current Address: INRAE Centre Val de Loire, 37380 Nouzilly, France), Athens, GA, 30602, USA.
| | - Stefan J Frohberger
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Sabine Specht
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Ivan Scandale
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Achim Harder
- Independent Scholar, Europaring 54, 51109, Cologne, Germany.
| | | | - Steffen R Hahnel
- Elanco Animal Health, Alfred-Nobel-Str. 50, 40789, Monheim, Germany.
| | - Daniel Kulke
- Elanco Animal Health, Alfred-Nobel-Str. 50, 40789, Monheim, Germany; Iowa State University, Department of Biomedical Sciences, 2008 Vet Med, Ames, IA, 50011, United States.
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17
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Yadav S, Sharma P, Sharma A, Ganga L, Saxena JK, Srivastava M. Immunization with Brugia malayi Calreticulin Protein Generates Robust Antiparasitic Immunity and Offers Protection during Experimental Lymphatic Filariasis. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:790-799. [PMID: 33667079 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Lymphatic filariasis causes permanent and long-term disability worldwide. Lack of potent adulticidal drugs, the emergence of drug resistance, and the nonavailability of effective vaccines are the major drawbacks toward LF elimination. However, immunomodulatory proteins present in the parasite secretome are capable of providing good protection against LF and thus offer hope in designing new vaccines against LF. Here, we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of B. malayi calreticulin protein (BmCRT) using in vitro and in vivo approaches. Stimulation with recombinant BmCRT (rBmCRT) significantly upregulated Th1 cytokine production in mouse splenocytes, mesenteric lymph nodes (mLNs), and splenic and peritoneal macrophages (PMΦs). Heightened NO release, ROS generation, increased lymphocyte proliferation, and increased antigen uptake were also observed after rBmCRT exposure. Mice immunized with rBmCRT responded with increased Th1 and Th2 cytokine secretion and exhibited highly elevated titers of anti-BmCRT specific IgG at day 14 and day 28 postimmunization while splenocytes and mLNs from immunized mice showed a robust recall response on restimulation with rBmCRT. Infective larvae (L3) challenge and protection studies undertaken in Mastomys coucha, a permissive model for LF, showed that rBmCRT-immunized animals mounted a robust humoral immune response as evident by elevated levels of total IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgG3 in their serum even 150 days after L3 challenge, which led to significantly reduced microfilariae and worm burden in infected animals. BmCRT is highly immunogenic and generates robust antiparasitic immunity in immunized animals and should therefore be explored further as a putative vaccine candidate against LF.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Aditi Sharma
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | | | | | - Mrigank Srivastava
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
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18
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Gandjui NVT, Njouendou AJ, Gemeg EN, Fombad FF, Ritter M, Kien CA, Chunda VC, Fru J, Esum ME, Hübner MP, Enyong PA, Hoerauf A, Wanji S. Establishment of an in vitro culture system to study the developmental biology of Onchocerca volvulus with implications for anti-Onchocerca drug discovery and screening. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0008513. [PMID: 33561123 PMCID: PMC7899360 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Infections with Onchocerca volvulus nematodes remain a threat in Sub-Saharan Africa after three decades of ivermectin mass drug administration. Despite this effort, there is still an urgent need for understanding the parasite biology especially the mating behaviour and nodule formation as well as the development of more potent drugs that can clear the developmental (L3, L4, L5) and adult stages of the parasite and inhibit parasite reproduction and behaviour. Methodology/Principal findings Prior to culture, freshly harvested O. volvulus L3 larvae from dissected Simulium damnosum flies were purified by centrifugation using a 30% Percoll solution to eliminate fly tissue debris and contaminants. Parasites were cultured in both cell-free and cell-based co-culture systems and monitored daily by microscopic visual inspection. Exhausted culture medium was replenished every 2–3 days. The cell-free culture system (DMEM supplemented with 10% NCS) supported the viability and motility of O. volvulus larvae for up to 84 days, while the co-culture system (DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS and seeded on LLC-MK2 feeder cells) extended worm survival for up to 315 days. Co-culture systems alone promoted two consecutive parasite moults (L3 to L4 and L4 to L5) with highest moulting rates (69.2±30%) observed in DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS and seeded on LLC-MK2 feeder cells, while no moult was observed in DMEM supplemented with 10% NCS and seeded on LEC feeder cells. In DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS and seeded on LLC-MK2 feeder cells, O. volvulus adult male worms attached to the vulva region of adult female worms and may have mated in vitro. Apparent early initiation of nodulogenesis was observed in both DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS and seeded on LLC-MK2 and DMEM supplemented with 10% NCS and seeded on LLC-MK2 systems. Conclusions/Significance The present study describes an in vitro system in which O. volvulus L3 larvae can be maintained in culture leading to the development of adult stages. Thus, this in vitro system may provide a platform to investigate mating behaviour and early stage of nodulogenesis of O. volvulus adult worms that can be used as additional targets for macrofilaricidal drug screening. River blindness affects people living in mostly remote and underserved rural communities in some of the poorest areas of the world. Although significant efforts have been achieved towards the reduction of disease morbidity, onchocerciasis still affects millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa. The current control strategy is the annual mass administration of ivermectin which has accumulated several drawbacks over time, especially the action of the drug is solely microfilaricidal, very long treatment period (15–17 years) and reports of ivermectin losing its efficacy; thus, raising the urgent need for new adulticidal compounds. Our study has established an in vitro platform capable of supporting the growth and development of Onchocerca volvulus for up to 315 days, enabling the observation of parasite developmental processes: moulting (from the infective L3 stage to adults), increase in morphometry, the attachment of adult male and female worms and the potential initiation of nodulogenesis. Moreover, the platform might provide more insight into O. volvulus adult worms behavioural pattern in vitro. Also, our findings provide more avenues for mass production of different parasite stages, the investigation of parasite developmental biology and the identification of targets for drug discovery against different developmental stages of this filarial parasite within 315 days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narcisse V. T. Gandjui
- Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and the Environment (REFOTDE), Buea, Cameroon
- Parasite and Vector Research Unit (PAVRU), Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Abdel J. Njouendou
- Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and the Environment (REFOTDE), Buea, Cameroon
- Parasite and Vector Research Unit (PAVRU), Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Eric N. Gemeg
- Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and the Environment (REFOTDE), Buea, Cameroon
- Parasite and Vector Research Unit (PAVRU), Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Fanny F. Fombad
- Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and the Environment (REFOTDE), Buea, Cameroon
- Parasite and Vector Research Unit (PAVRU), Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
- Department of Zoology and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Manuel Ritter
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
| | - Chi A. Kien
- Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and the Environment (REFOTDE), Buea, Cameroon
- Parasite and Vector Research Unit (PAVRU), Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Valerine C. Chunda
- Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and the Environment (REFOTDE), Buea, Cameroon
- Parasite and Vector Research Unit (PAVRU), Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Jerome Fru
- Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and the Environment (REFOTDE), Buea, Cameroon
- Parasite and Vector Research Unit (PAVRU), Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Mathias E. Esum
- Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and the Environment (REFOTDE), Buea, Cameroon
- Parasite and Vector Research Unit (PAVRU), Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Marc P. Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne partner site, Bonn, Germany
| | - Peter A. Enyong
- Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and the Environment (REFOTDE), Buea, Cameroon
- Parasite and Vector Research Unit (PAVRU), Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn-Cologne partner site, Bonn, Germany
| | - Samuel Wanji
- Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and the Environment (REFOTDE), Buea, Cameroon
- Parasite and Vector Research Unit (PAVRU), Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
- * E-mail:
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Schiefer A, Hübner MP, Krome A, Lämmer C, Ehrens A, Aden T, Koschel M, Neufeld H, Chaverra-Muñoz L, Jansen R, Kehraus S, König GM, Pogorevc D, Müller R, Stadler M, Hüttel S, Hesterkamp T, Wagner K, Pfarr K, Hoerauf A. Corallopyronin A for short-course anti-wolbachial, macrofilaricidal treatment of filarial infections. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008930. [PMID: 33284808 PMCID: PMC7746275 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Current efforts to eliminate the neglected tropical diseases onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis, caused by the filarial nematodes Onchocerca volvulus and Wuchereria bancrofti or Brugia spp., respectively, are hampered by lack of a short-course macrofilaricidal–adult-worm killing–treatment. Anti-wolbachial antibiotics, e.g. doxycycline, target the essential Wolbachia endosymbionts of filariae and are a safe prototype adult-worm-sterilizing and macrofilaricidal regimen, in contrast to standard treatments with ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine, which mainly target the microfilariae. However, treatment regimens of 4–5 weeks necessary for doxycycline and contraindications limit its use. Therefore, we tested the preclinical anti-Wolbachia drug candidate Corallopyronin A (CorA) for in vivo efficacy during initial and chronic filarial infections in the Litomosoides sigmodontis rodent model. CorA treatment for 14 days beginning immediately after infection cleared >90% of Wolbachia endosymbionts from filariae and prevented development into adult worms. CorA treatment of patently infected microfilaremic gerbils for 14 days with 30 mg/kg twice a day (BID) achieved a sustained reduction of >99% of Wolbachia endosymbionts from adult filariae and microfilariae, followed by complete inhibition of filarial embryogenesis resulting in clearance of microfilariae. Combined treatment of CorA and albendazole, a drug currently co-administered during mass drug administrations and previously shown to enhance efficacy of anti-Wolbachia drugs, achieved microfilarial clearance after 7 days of treatment at a lower BID dose of 10 mg/kg CorA, a Human Equivalent Dose of 1.4 mg/kg. Importantly, this combination led to a significant reduction in the adult worm burden, which has not yet been published with other anti-Wolbachia candidates tested in this model. In summary, CorA is a preclinical candidate for filariasis, which significantly reduces treatment times required to achieve sustained Wolbachia depletion, clearance of microfilariae, and inhibition of embryogenesis. In combination with albendazole, CorA is robustly macrofilaricidal after 7 days of treatment and fulfills the Target Product Profile for a macrofilaricidal drug. Infections with filarial roundworms can cause the disfiguring human neglected tropical diseases onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. Treatment of these diseases is limited, as there is no well-tolerated treatment available that kills the adult worms after a short-term regimen. Thus, mass drug administrations (MDA) are performed with drugs that temporarily clear the microfilariae, the filarial offspring, to inhibit the transmission of the disease. As these MDA treatments have to be given 1–2 times per year for many years, the goal to eliminate onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis is hampered. In the present study we investigated a novel preclinical candidate for the treatment of filariasis. Corallopyronin A (CorA) is a natural compound that clears the essential Wolbachia endobacteria of filariae. Using the Litomosoides sigmodontis rodent model of filariasis we demonstrated that 2 weeks of CorA treatment clears Wolbachia endosymbionts in vivo, leading to a maintained clearance of microfilariae by inhibition of filarial embryogenesis. Combination therapy of CorA with the MDA drug albendazole allowed lower CorA doses and shortened treatment to 7 days. More importantly, it also led to the death of the adult filariae. Portfolios (Target Product Profiles) of new drugs against filariae should show adult killing efficacy like CorA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Schiefer
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marc P. Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Anna Krome
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Christine Lämmer
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexandra Ehrens
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Tilman Aden
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marianne Koschel
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Helene Neufeld
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Rolf Jansen
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stefan Kehraus
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Biology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gabriele M. König
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Biology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Domen Pogorevc
- Department Microbial Natural Products, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Rolf Müller
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunschweig, Germany
- Department Microbial Natural Products, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Marc Stadler
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stephan Hüttel
- Department Microbial Drugs, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Thomas Hesterkamp
- Translational Project Management Office (TPMO), German Center for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Karl Wagner
- Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Kenneth Pfarr
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
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20
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Fercoq F, Remion E, Vallarino-Lhermitte N, Alonso J, Raveendran L, Nixon C, Le Quesne J, Carlin LM, Martin C. Microfilaria-dependent thoracic pathology associated with eosinophilic and fibrotic polyps in filaria-infected rodents. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:551. [PMID: 33160409 PMCID: PMC7648300 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04428-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pulmonary manifestations are regularly reported in both human and animal filariasis. In human filariasis, the main known lung manifestations are the tropical pulmonary eosinophilia syndrome. Its duration and severity are correlated with the presence of microfilariae. Litomosoides sigmodontis is a filarial parasite residing in the pleural cavity of rodents. This model is widely used to understand the immune mechanisms that are established during infection and for the screening of therapeutic molecules. Some pulmonary manifestations during the patent phase of infection with L. sigmodontis have been described in different rodent hosts more or less permissive to infection. METHODS Here, the permissive Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) was infected with L. sigmodontis. Prevalence and density of microfilariae and adult parasites were evaluated. Lungs were analyzed for pathological signatures using immunohistochemistry and 3D imaging techniques (two-photon and light sheet microscopy). RESULTS Microfilaremia in gerbils was correlated with parasite load, as amicrofilaremic individuals had fewer parasites in their pleural cavities. Fibrotic polypoid structures were observed on both pleurae of infected gerbils. Polyps were of variable size and developed from the visceral mesothelium over the entire pleura. The larger polyps were vascularized and strongly infiltrated by immune cells such as eosinophils, macrophages or lymphocytes. The formation of these structures was induced by the presence of adult filariae since small and rare polyps were observed before patency, but they were exacerbated by the presence of gravid females and microfilariae. CONCLUSIONS Altogether, these data emphasize the role of host-specific factors in the pathogenesis of filarial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Fercoq
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM UMR 7245), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, P52, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1BD, UK
| | - Estelle Remion
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM UMR 7245), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, P52, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Nathaly Vallarino-Lhermitte
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM UMR 7245), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, P52, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Joy Alonso
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM UMR 7245), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, P52, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Lisy Raveendran
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM UMR 7245), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, P52, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Colin Nixon
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1BD, UK
| | - John Le Quesne
- Leicester Cancer Research Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Leo M Carlin
- CRUK Beatson Institute, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1BD, UK
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G61 1GH, UK
| | - Coralie Martin
- Unité Molécules de Communication et Adaptation des Microorganismes (MCAM UMR 7245), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, P52, 61 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France.
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21
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Preliminary evaluations of 3-dimensional human skin models for their ability to facilitate in vitro the long-term development of the debilitating obligatory human parasite Onchocerca volvulus. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0008503. [PMID: 33151944 PMCID: PMC7671495 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Onchocerciasis also known as river blindness is a neglected tropical disease and the world's second-leading infectious cause of blindness in humans; it is caused by Onchocerca volvulus. Current treatment with ivermectin targets microfilariae and transmission and does not kill the adult parasites, which reside within subcutaneous nodules. To support the development of macrofilaricidal drugs that target the adult worm to further support the elimination of onchocerciasis, an in-depth understanding of O. volvulus biology especially the factors that support the longevity of these worms in the human host (>10 years) is required. However, research is hampered by a lack of access to adult worms. O. volvulus is an obligatory human parasite and no small animal models that can propagate this parasite were successfully developed. The current optimized 2-dimensional (2-D) in vitro culturing method starting with O. volvulus infective larvae does not yet support the development of mature adult worms. To overcome these limitations, we have developed and applied 3-dimensional (3-D) culture systems with O. volvulus larvae that simulate the human in vivo niche using in vitro engineered skin and adipose tissue. Our proof of concept studies have shown that an optimized indirect co-culture of in vitro skin tissue supported a significant increase in growth of the fourth-stage larvae to the pre-adult stage with a median length of 816–831 μm as compared to 767 μm of 2-D cultured larvae. Notably, when larvae were co-cultured directly with adipose tissue models, a significant improvement for larval motility and thus fitness was observed; 95% compared to 26% in the 2-D system. These promising co-culture concepts are a first step to further optimize the culturing conditions and improve the long-term development of adult worms in vitro. Ultimately, it could provide the filarial research community with a valuable source of O. volvulus worms at various developmental stages, which may accelerate innovative unsolved biomedical inquiries into the parasite’s biology. The filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus is an obligatory human parasite and the causative agent of onchocerciasis, better known as river blindness. In 2017, more than 20 million infections with O. volvulus were estimated worldwide, 99% of the patients live in Africa. Current international control programs focus on the reduction of microfilaridermia by mass drug administration of ivermectin. However, to meet the elimination goals, additional treatment strategies are needed that also target the adult worms. As this parasite is obliged to humans, there are no small animal models that sustain the full life cycle of the parasite, thus greatly impeding the research on this filarial nematode. To overcome these drawbacks, we have developed co-culture systems based on engineered human skin and adipose tissue that represent the in vivo niche of O. volvulus adult worms that improved the culturing conditions and the development to the pre-adult stages of the parasite. Furthermore, our new culture approach could significantly reduce the use of surrogate animal models currently used for macrofilaricidal drug testing.
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22
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Khatri V, Chauhan N, Kalyanasundaram R. Fecundity of adult female worms were affected when Brugia malayi infected Mongolian gerbils were immunized with a multivalent vaccine (rBmHAXT) against human lymphatic filarial parasite. Acta Trop 2020; 208:105487. [PMID: 32437645 PMCID: PMC7655632 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2020.105487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
A multivalent recombinant fusion protein prophylactic vaccine, rBmHAXT developed against lymphatic filariasis (LF) demonstrated over 57% protection against challenge infection in rhesus macaque model. Currently, we do not know if the rBmHAXT vaccination has any effect on adult worms and/or on the fecundity of adult female worms. Thus, the major focus of this study was to determine the effect of rBmHAXT vaccination on Brugia malayi infected mongolian gerbils. We performed two sets of experiments. In the first set of experiment, gerbils were infected with 100 B. malayi L3. After confirming the establishment of infection, four rounds of DEC treatment and rBmHAXT vaccination was given. Results showed that following vaccination with rBmHAXT, the microfilaria (Mf) count was significantly decreased in all vaccinated animals compared to controls. At the end of these experiments, we collected and counted the established adult worms. There was a 36% reduction in the recovery of adult female worms, which might account for the low Mf load in vaccinated animals. In the second set of experiments, animals were vaccinated first with rBmHAXT followed by surgically implanting adult male or female B. malayi parasites into the peritoneal cavity to determine the effect of vaccination on each sex of the parasite. Our results show that the rBmHAXT vaccination has no effect on male adult worms compared to controls. However, there was 40% reduction in the Mf load in vaccinated animals that were transplanted with adult female worms. These findings suggested that the rBmHAXT vaccination has potential damaging effect on the fecundity of adult female worms. Scanning electron microscopy studies showed cuticular damage on the surface of adult female worms. These studies thus show that the rBmHAXT vaccination in infected gerbils has partial microfilaricidal effect and potentially affect the fecundity of adult female worms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishal Khatri
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford, IL, USA
| | - Nikhil Chauhan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rockford, IL, USA
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23
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Akama T, Freund YR, Berry PW, Carter DS, Easom EE, Jarnagin K, Lunde CS, Plattner JJ, Rock F, Stefanakis R, Fischer C, Bulman CA, Lim KC, Suzuki BM, Tricoche N, Mansour A, DiCosty U, McCall S, Carson B, McCall JW, McKerrow J, Hübner MP, Specht S, Hoerauf A, Lustigman S, Sakanari JA, Jacobs RT. Macrofilaricidal Benzimidazole-Benzoxaborole Hybrids as an Approach to the Treatment of River Blindness: Part 1. Amide Linked Analogs. ACS Infect Dis 2020; 6:173-179. [PMID: 31876154 PMCID: PMC7026885 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.9b00396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
A series of benzimidazole–benzoxaborole
hybrid molecules
linked via an amide linker are described that exhibit good in vitro activity against Onchocerca volvulus, a filarial nematode responsible for the disease onchocerciasis,
also known as river blindness. The lead identified in this series, 8a (AN8799), was found to have acceptable pharmacokinetic
properties to enable evaluation in animal models of human filariasis.
Compound 8a was effective in killing Brugia malayi, B. pahangi, and Litomosoides sigmodontis worms present in Mongolian gerbils when dosed subcutaneously as
a suspension at 100 mg/kg/day for 14 days but not when dosed orally
at 100 mg/kg/day for 28 days. The measurement of plasma levels of 8a at the end of the dosing period and at the time of sacrifice
revealed an interesting dependence of activity on the extended exposure
for both 8a and the positive control, flubendazole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsutomu Akama
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Yvonne R. Freund
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Pamela W. Berry
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - David S. Carter
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Eric E. Easom
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Kurt Jarnagin
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Christopher S. Lunde
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Jacob J. Plattner
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Fernando Rock
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Rianna Stefanakis
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Chelsea Fischer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Christina A. Bulman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Kee Chong Lim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Brian M. Suzuki
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
| | - Nancy Tricoche
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, 310 E. 67th Street, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Abdelmoneim Mansour
- TRS Laboratories, Inc., 295 Research Drive, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - Utami DiCosty
- TRS Laboratories, Inc., 295 Research Drive, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - Scott McCall
- TRS Laboratories, Inc., 295 Research Drive, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - Ben Carson
- TRS Laboratories, Inc., 295 Research Drive, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - John W. McCall
- TRS Laboratories, Inc., 295 Research Drive, Athens, Georgia 30605, United States
| | - James McKerrow
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0657, United States
| | - Marc P. Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Sabine Specht
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative, 15 Chemin Louis-Dunant, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, 310 E. 67th Street, New York, New York 10065, United States
| | - Judy A. Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, 1700 4th Street, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Robert T. Jacobs
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1020 E. Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
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24
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Ehrens A, Lunde CS, Jacobs RT, Struever D, Koschel M, Frohberger SJ, Lenz F, Fendler M, Turner JD, Ward SA, Taylor MJ, Freund YR, Stefanakis R, Easom E, Li X, Plattner JJ, Hoerauf A, Hübner MP. In vivo efficacy of the boron-pleuromutilin AN11251 against Wolbachia of the rodent filarial nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2020; 14:e0007957. [PMID: 31986143 PMCID: PMC7004383 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The elimination of filarial diseases such as onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis is hampered by the lack of a macrofilaricidal-adult worm killing-drug. In the present study, we tested the in vivo efficacy of AN11251, a boron-pleuromutilin that targets endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria from filarial nematodes and compared its efficacy to doxycycline and rifampicin. Doxycycline and rifampicin were previously shown to deplete Wolbachia endosymbionts leading to a permanent sterilization of the female adult filariae and adult worm death in human clinical studies. Twice-daily oral treatment of Litomosoides sigmodontis-infected mice with 200 mg/kg AN11251 for 10 days achieved a Wolbachia depletion > 99.9% in the adult worms, exceeding the Wolbachia reduction by 10-day treatments with bioequivalent human doses of doxycycline and a similar reduction as high-dose rifampicin (35 mg/kg). Wolbachia reductions of > 99% were also accomplished by 14 days of oral AN11251 at a lower twice-daily dose (50 mg/kg) or once-per-day 200 mg/kg AN11251 treatments. The combinations tested of AN11251 with doxycycline had no clear beneficial impact on Wolbachia depletion, achieving a > 97% Wolbachia reduction with 7 days of treatment. These results indicate that AN11251 is superior to doxycycline and comparable to high-dose rifampicin in the L. sigmodontis mouse model, allowing treatment regimens as short as 10-14 days. Therefore, AN11251 represents a promising pre-clinical candidate that was identified in the L. sigmodontis model, and could be further evaluated and developed as potential clinical candidate for human lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Ehrens
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Robert T. Jacobs
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
| | - Dominique Struever
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marianne Koschel
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefan J. Frohberger
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Franziska Lenz
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Martina Fendler
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Joseph D. Turner
- Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen A. Ward
- Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Mark J. Taylor
- Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Yvonne R. Freund
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
| | - Rianna Stefanakis
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
| | - Eric Easom
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
| | - Xianfeng Li
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
| | - Jacob J. Plattner
- Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marc P. Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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25
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Kalyanasundaram R, Khatri V, Chauhan N. Advances in Vaccine Development for Human Lymphatic Filariasis. Trends Parasitol 2019; 36:195-205. [PMID: 31864894 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
According to the World Health Organization, over 880 million people are currently at risk of acquiring lymphatic filariasis (LF) in over 52 countries worldwide. Current approaches to control LF by 2020 are short of the anticipated goal. Several studies suggest the existence of protective immunity against LF in humans. Thus, it is possible to develop a prophylactic vaccine against LF in humans. Several potential vaccine candidates were identified and tested for their potential against LF. To date, preclinical studies suggest that it is possible to develop a prophylactic vaccine against LF. Much work needs to be done, but it is clear that a prophylactic vaccine, combined with targeted chemotherapy, is critically required for eliminating LF worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramaswamy Kalyanasundaram
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, 1601 Parkview Avenue, Rockford, IL 61107, USA.
| | - Vishal Khatri
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, 1601 Parkview Avenue, Rockford, IL 61107, USA
| | - Nikhil Chauhan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Illinois, 1601 Parkview Avenue, Rockford, IL 61107, USA
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Short-course quinazoline drug treatments are effective in the Litomosoides sigmodontis and Brugia pahangi jird models. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE 2019; 12:18-27. [PMID: 31869759 PMCID: PMC6931063 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2019.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2019] [Revised: 11/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The quinazolines CBR417 and CBR490 were previously shown to be potent anti-wolbachials that deplete Wolbachia endosymbionts of filarial nematodes and present promising pre-clinical candidates for human filarial diseases such as onchocerciasis. In the present study we tested both candidates in two models of chronic filarial infection, namely the Litomosoides sigmodontis and Brugia pahangi jird model and assessed their long-term effect on Wolbachia depletion, microfilariae counts and filarial embryogenesis 16−18 weeks after treatment initiation (wpt). Once per day (QD) oral treatment with CBR417 (50 mg/kg) for 4 days or twice per day (BID) with CBR490 (25 mg/kg) for 7 days during patent L. sigmodontis infection reduced the Wolbachia load by >99% and completely cleared peripheral microfilaremia from 10–14 wpt. Similarly, 7 days of QD treatments (40 mg/kg) with CBR417 or CBR490 cleared >99% of Wolbachia from B. pahangi and reduced peritoneal microfilariae counts by 93% in the case of CBR417 treatment. Transmission electron microscopy analysis indicated intensive damage to the B. pahangi ovaries following CBR417 treatment and in accordance filarial embryogenesis was inhibited in both models after CBR417 or CBR490 treatment. Suboptimal treatment regimens of CBR417 or CBR490 did not lead to a maintained reduction of the microfilariae and Wolbachia load. In conclusion, CBR417 or CBR490 are pre-clinical candidates for filarial diseases, which achieve long-term clearance of Wolbachia endosymbionts of filarial nematodes, inhibit filarial embryogenesis and clear microfilaremia with treatments as short as 7 days. CBR417 and CBR490 provide long-term effects in 2 chronic filaria jird models. CBR417 and CBR490 deplete >99% Wolbachia in B. pahangi and L. sigmodontis filariae. CBR417 and CBR490 clear L. sigmodontis microfilariae after 10–14 weeks. CBR417 and CBR490 inhibit filarial embryogenesis in both models. Suboptimal doses do not maintain reduction of microfilariae and Wolbachia.
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Hübner MP, Koschel M, Struever D, Nikolov V, Frohberger SJ, Ehrens A, Fendler M, Johannes I, von Geldern TW, Marsh K, Turner JD, Taylor MJ, Ward SA, Pfarr K, Kempf DJ, Hoerauf A. In vivo kinetics of Wolbachia depletion by ABBV-4083 in L. sigmodontis adult worms and microfilariae. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007636. [PMID: 31381563 PMCID: PMC6695197 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Depletion of Wolbachia endosymbionts of human pathogenic filariae using 4–6 weeks of doxycycline treatment can lead to permanent sterilization and adult filarial death. We investigated the anti-Wolbachia drug candidate ABBV-4083 in the Litomosoides sigmodontis rodent model to determine Wolbachia depletion kinetics with different regimens. Wolbachia reduction occurred in mice as early as 3 days after the initiation of ABBV-4083 treatment and continued throughout a 10-day treatment period. Importantly, Wolbachia levels continued to decline after a 5-day-treatment from 91.5% to 99.9% during a 3-week washout period. In jirds, two weeks of ABBV-4083 treatment (100mg/kg once-per-day) caused a >99.9% Wolbachia depletion in female adult worms, and the kinetics of Wolbachia depletion were recapitulated in peripheral blood microfilariae. Similar to Wolbachia depletion, inhibition of embryogenesis was time-dependent in ABBV-4083-treated jirds, leading to a complete lack of late embryonic stages (stretched microfilariae) and lack of peripheral microfilariae in 5/6 ABBV-4083-treated jirds by 14 weeks after treatment. Twice daily treatment in comparison to once daily treatment with ABBV-4083 did not significantly improve Wolbachia depletion. Moreover, up to 4 nonconsecutive daily treatments within a 14-dose regimen did not significantly erode Wolbachia depletion. Within the limitations of an animal model that does not fully recapitulate human filarial disease, our studies suggest that Wolbachia depletion should be assessed clinically no earlier than 3–4 weeks after the end of treatment, and that Wolbachia depletion in microfilariae may be a viable surrogate marker for the depletion within adult worms. Furthermore, strict daily adherence to the dosing regimen with anti-Wolbachia candidates may not be required, provided that the full regimen is subsequently completed. Onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis represent debilitating neglected tropical diseases that are caused by parasitic filarial nematodes. Current efforts to eliminate onchocerciasis are hampered by the lack of drugs that lead to permanent sterilization of the adult worms or provide a macrofilaricidal effect, i.e. kill the adult worms. In the past, doxycycline has been shown to deplete Wolbachia endosymbionts of filarial nematodes, leading to permanent sterilization and macrofilaricidal efficacy in filariae causing both onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. However, contraindications and a requirement for at least 4 weeks of doxycycline treatment impair its broader use, creating a need for drugs with a shorter treatment regimen and potentially fewer contraindications. ABBV-4083 is such an anti-Wolbachia candidate that was efficacious in several filarial animal models and has recently been tested in a phase 1 clinical trial. The present studies addressed several points that are important for subsequent phase 2 clinical trials, namely the comparison of once vs. twice-per-day treatments, the impact of missed treatments, and a comparison of the kinetics of Wolbachia depletion in adult worms and microfilariae, the latter of which has the potential to be a surrogate indicator to avoid the necessity of surgically removing nodules with adult worms at repeated time points.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc P. Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Marianne Koschel
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Dominique Struever
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Venelin Nikolov
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefan J. Frohberger
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexandra Ehrens
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Martina Fendler
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Iliana Johannes
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas W. von Geldern
- Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development, AbbVie, North Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Franciscan Institute for World Health, Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Kennan Marsh
- Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development, AbbVie, North Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Joseph D. Turner
- Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Mark J. Taylor
- Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen A. Ward
- Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Kenneth Pfarr
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Dale J. Kempf
- Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development, AbbVie, North Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
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Bakowski MA, McNamara CW. Advances in Antiwolbachial Drug Discovery for Treatment of Parasitic Filarial Worm Infections. Trop Med Infect Dis 2019; 4:tropicalmed4030108. [PMID: 31323841 PMCID: PMC6789823 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed4030108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The intracellular bacteria now known as Wolbachia were first described in filarial worms in the 1970s, but the idea of Wolbachia being used as a macrofilaricidal target did not gain wide attention until the early 2000s, with research in filariae suggesting the requirement of worms for the endosymbiont. This new-found interest prompted the eventual organization of the Anti-Wolbachia Consortium (A-WOL) at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, who, among others have been active in the field of antiwolbachial drug discovery to treat filarial infections. Clinical proof of concept studies using doxycycline demonstrated the utility of the antiwolbachial therapy, but efficacious treatments were of long duration and not safe for all infected. With the advance of robotics, automation, and high-speed computing, the search for superior antiwolbachials shifted away from smaller studies with a select number of antibiotics to high-throughput screening approaches, centered largely around cell-based phenotypic screens due to the rather limited knowledge about, and tools available to manipulate, this bacterium. A concomitant effort was put towards developing validation approaches and in vivo models supporting drug discovery efforts. In this review, we summarize the strategies behind and outcomes of recent large phenotypic screens published within the last 5 years, hit compound validation approaches and promising candidates with profiles superior to doxycycline, including ones positioned to advance into clinical trials for treatment of filarial worm infections.
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Cho-Ngwa F, Mbah GE, Ayiseh RB, Ndi EM, Monya E, Tumanjong IM, Mainsah EN, Sakanari J, Lustigman S. Development and validation of an Onchocerca ochengi adult male worm gerbil model for macrofilaricidal drug screening. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007556. [PMID: 31260456 PMCID: PMC6625737 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Onchocerciasis currently afflicts an estimated 15 million people and is the second leading infectious cause of blindness world-wide. The development of a macrofilaricide to cure the disease has been hindered by the lack of appropriate small laboratory animal models. This study therefore, was aimed at developing and validating the Mongolian gerbil, as an Onchocerca ochengi (the closest in phylogeny to O. volvulus) adult male worm model. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were each implanted with 20 O. ochengi male worms (collected from infected cattle), in the peritoneum. Following drug or placebo treatments, the implanted worms were recovered from the animals and analyzed for burden, motility and viability. Worm recovery in control gerbils was on average 35%, with 89% of the worms being 100% motile. Treatment of the gerbils implanted with male worms with flubendazole (FBZ) resulted in a significant reduction (p = 0.0021) in worm burden (6.0% versus 27.8% in the control animals); all recovered worms from the treated group had 0% worm motility versus 91.1% motility in control animals. FBZ treatment had similar results even after four different experiments. Using this model, we tested a related drug, oxfendazole (OFZ), and found it to also significantly (p = 0.0097) affect worm motility (22.7% versus 95.0% in the control group). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE We have developed and validated a novel gerbil O. ochengi adult male worm model for testing new macrofilaricidal drugs in vivo. It was also used to determine the efficacy of oxfendazole in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fidelis Cho-Ngwa
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Glory Enjong Mbah
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Rene Bilingwe Ayiseh
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Emmanuel Menang Ndi
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Elvis Monya
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Irene Memeh Tumanjong
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Evans Ngandung Mainsah
- ANDI Centre of Excellence for Onchocerciasis Drug Research, Biotechnology Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Judy Sakanari
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York City, New York, United States of America
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Kilarski WW, Martin C, Pisano M, Bain O, Babayan SA, Swartz MA. Inherent biomechanical traits enable infective filariae to disseminate through collecting lymphatic vessels. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2895. [PMID: 31263185 PMCID: PMC6603047 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10675-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Filariases are diseases caused by arthropod-borne filaria nematodes. The related pathologies depend on the location of the infective larvae when their migration, the asymptomatic and least studied phase of the disease, comes to an end. To determine factors assisting in filariae dissemination, we image Litomosoides sigmodontis infective larvae during their escape from the skin. Burrowing through the dermis filariae exclusively enter pre-collecting lymphatics by mechanical disruption of their wall. Once inside collectors, their rapid and unidirectional movement towards the lymph node is supported by the morphology of lymphatic valves. In a microfluidic maze mimicking lymphatic vessels, filariae follow the direction of the flow, the first biomechanical factor capable of helminth guidance within the host. Finally, non-infective nematodes that rely on universal morpho-physiological cues alone also migrate through the dermis, and break in lymphatics, indicating that the ability to spread by the lymphatic route is an ancestral trait rather than acquired parasitic adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Witold W Kilarski
- Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Institute of Bioengineering and Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.
| | - Coralie Martin
- UMR7245, MCAM, Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Marco Pisano
- Institute of Bioengineering and Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland
| | - Odile Bain
- UMR7245, MCAM, Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Simon A Babayan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Melody A Swartz
- Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Institute of Bioengineering and Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.
- Ben May Department for Cancer Research, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
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Bakowski MA, Shiroodi RK, Liu R, Olejniczak J, Yang B, Gagaring K, Guo H, White PM, Chappell L, Debec A, Landmann F, Dubben B, Lenz F, Struever D, Ehrens A, Frohberger SJ, Sjoberg H, Pionnier N, Murphy E, Archer J, Steven A, Chunda VC, Fombad FF, Chounna PW, Njouendou AJ, Metuge HM, Ndzeshang BL, Gandjui NV, Akumtoh DN, Kwenti TDB, Woods AK, Joseph SB, Hull MV, Xiong W, Kuhen KL, Taylor MJ, Wanji S, Turner JD, Hübner MP, Hoerauf A, Chatterjee AK, Roland J, Tremblay MS, Schultz PG, Sullivan W, Chu XJ, Petrassi HM, McNamara CW. Discovery of short-course antiwolbachial quinazolines for elimination of filarial worm infections. Sci Transl Med 2019; 11:11/491/eaav3523. [DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aav3523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Parasitic filarial nematodes cause debilitating infections in people in resource-limited countries. A clinically validated approach to eliminating worms uses a 4- to 6-week course of doxycycline that targetsWolbachia, a bacterial endosymbiont required for worm viability and reproduction. However, the prolonged length of therapy and contraindication in children and pregnant women have slowed adoption of this treatment. Here, we describe discovery and optimization of quinazolines CBR417 and CBR490 that, with a single dose, achieve >99% elimination ofWolbachiain the in vivoLitomosoides sigmodontisfilarial infection model. The efficacious quinazoline series was identified by pairing a primary cell-based high-content imaging screen with an orthogonal ex vivo validation assay to rapidly quantifyWolbachiaelimination inBrugia pahangifilarial ovaries. We screened 300,368 small molecules in the primary assay and identified 288 potent and selective hits. Of 134 primary hits tested, only 23.9% were active in the worm-based validation assay, 8 of which contained a quinazoline heterocycle core. Medicinal chemistry optimization generated quinazolines with excellent pharmacokinetic profiles in mice. Potent antiwolbachial activity was confirmed inL. sigmodontis,Brugia malayi, andOnchocerca ochengiin vivo preclinical models of filarial disease and in vitro selectivity againstLoa loa(a safety concern in endemic areas). The favorable efficacy and in vitro safety profiles of CBR490 and CBR417 further support these as clinical candidates for treatment of filarial infections.
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Reamtong O, Rujimongkon K, Sookrung N, Saeung A, Thiangtrongjit T, Sakolvaree Y, Thammapalo S, Loymek S, Chaicumpa W. Immunome and immune complex-forming components of Brugia malayi identified by microfilaremic human sera. Exp Parasitol 2019; 200:92-98. [PMID: 30991039 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2019.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Adult Brugia malayi proteins with high potential as epidemiological markers, diagnostic and therapeutic targets, and/or vaccine candidates were revealed by using microfilaremic human sera and an immunoproteomic approach. They were HSP70, cytoplasmic intermediate filament protein, independent phosphoglycerate mutase, and enolase. Brugia malayi microfilaria-specific proteins that formed circulating immune complexes (ICs) were investigated. The IC-forming proteins were orthologues of hypothetical protein Bm1_12480, Pao retrotransposon peptidase family protein, uncoordinated protein 44, NAD-binding domain containing protein of the UDP-glucose/GDP-mannose dehydrogenase family which contained ankyrin repeat region, ZU5 domain with C-terminal death domain, C2 domain containing protein, and FLJ90013 protein of the eukaryotic membrane protein family. Antibodies to these proteins were not free in the microfilaremic sera, raising the possible role of the IC-forming proteins in an immune evasion mechanism of the circulating microfilariae to avoid antibody-mediated-host immunity. Moreover, detection of these ICs should be able to replace the inconvenient night blood sampling for microfilaria in an evaluation of efficacy of anti-microfilarial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onrapak Reamtong
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Kitiya Rujimongkon
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Nitat Sookrung
- Biomedical Research Incubation Unit, Department of Research, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand; Center of Research Excellence on Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
| | - Atiporn Saeung
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
| | - Tipparat Thiangtrongjit
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Yuwaporn Sakolvaree
- Center of Research Excellence on Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand
| | - Suwich Thammapalo
- The Office of Disease Prevention and Control 12, Songkhla, 90000, Thailand
| | - Sumat Loymek
- The Office of Disease Prevention and Control 12, Songkhla, 90000, Thailand
| | - Wanpen Chaicumpa
- Center of Research Excellence on Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand.
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Jacobs RT, Lunde CS, Freund YR, Hernandez V, Li X, Xia Y, Carter DS, Berry PW, Halladay J, Rock F, Stefanakis R, Easom E, Plattner JJ, Ford L, Johnston KL, Cook DAN, Clare R, Cassidy A, Myhill L, Tyrer H, Gamble J, Guimaraes AF, Steven A, Lenz F, Ehrens A, Frohberger SJ, Koschel M, Hoerauf A, Hübner MP, McNamara CW, Bakowski MA, Turner JD, Taylor MJ, Ward SA. Boron-Pleuromutilins as Anti- Wolbachia Agents with Potential for Treatment of Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filariasis. J Med Chem 2019; 62:2521-2540. [PMID: 30730745 PMCID: PMC6421521 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b01854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
A series of pleuromutilins modified by introduction of a boron-containing heterocycle on C(14) of the polycyclic core are described. These analogs were found to be potent anti- Wolbachia antibiotics and, as such, may be useful in the treatment of filarial infections caused by Onchocerca volvulus, resulting in Onchocerciasis or river blindness, or Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi and related parasitic nematodes resulting in lymphatic filariasis. These two important neglected tropical diseases disproportionately impact patients in the developing world. The lead preclinical candidate compound containing 7-fluoro-6-oxybenzoxaborole (15, AN11251) was shown to have good in vitro anti- Wolbachia activity and physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties providing high exposure in plasma. The lead was effective in reducing the Wolbachia load in filarial worms following oral administration to mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert T. Jacobs
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Christopher S. Lunde
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Yvonne R. Freund
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Vincent Hernandez
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Xianfeng Li
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Yi Xia
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - David S. Carter
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Pamela W. Berry
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Jason Halladay
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Fernando Rock
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Rianna Stefanakis
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Eric Easom
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Jacob J. Plattner
- Anacor
Pharmaceuticals, 1020
East Meadow Circle, Palo Alto, California 94303, United States
| | - Louise Ford
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Kelly L. Johnston
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Darren A. N. Cook
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Rachel Clare
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Andrew Cassidy
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Laura Myhill
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Hayley Tyrer
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Joanne Gamble
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Ana F. Guimaraes
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Andrew Steven
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Franziska Lenz
- Institute
for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexandra Ehrens
- Institute
for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefan J. Frohberger
- Institute
for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Marianne Koschel
- Institute
for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute
for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Marc P. Hübner
- Institute
for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Case W. McNamara
- Calibr, 11119 North
Torrey Pines Road, Suite 100, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Malina A. Bakowski
- Calibr, 11119 North
Torrey Pines Road, Suite 100, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Joseph D. Turner
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Mark J. Taylor
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
| | - Stephen A. Ward
- Centre
for Drugs and Diagnostics, Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool L3 5QA, U.K.
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Voronin D, Tricoche N, Jawahar S, Shlossman M, Bulman CA, Fischer C, Suderman MT, Sakanari JA, Lustigman S. Development of a preliminary in vitro drug screening assay based on a newly established culturing system for pre-adult fifth-stage Onchocerca volvulus worms. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007108. [PMID: 30653499 PMCID: PMC6353222 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human filarial parasite Onchocerca volvulus is the causative agent of onchocerciasis (river blindness). It causes blindness in 270,000 individuals with an additional 6.5 million suffering from severe skin pathologies. Current international control programs focus on the reduction of microfilaridermia by annually administering ivermectin for more than 20 years with the ultimate goal of blocking of transmission. The adult worms of O. volvulus can live within nodules for over 15 years and actively release microfilariae for the majority of their lifespan. Therefore, protracted treatment courses of ivermectin are required to block transmission and eventually eliminate the disease. To shorten the time to elimination of this disease, drugs that successfully target macrofilariae (adult parasites) are needed. Unfortunately, there is no small animal model for the infection that could be used for discovery and screening of drugs against adult O. volvulus parasites. Here, we present an in vitro culturing system that supports the growth and development of O. volvulus young adult worms from the third-stage (L3) infective stage. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In this study we optimized the culturing system by testing several monolayer cell lines to support worm growth and development. We have shown that the optimized culturing system allows for the growth of the L3 worms to L5 and that the L5 mature into young adult worms. Moreover, these young O. volvulus worms were used in preliminary assays to test putative macrofilaricidal drugs and FDA-approved repurposed drugs. CONCLUSION The culture system we have established for O. volvulus young adult worms offers a promising new platform to advance drug discovery against the human filarial parasite, O. volvulus and thus supports the continuous pursuit for effective macrofilaricidal drugs. However, this in vitro culturing system will have to be further validated for reproducibility before it can be rolled out as a drug screen for decision making in macrofilaricide drug development programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Voronin
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Nancy Tricoche
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Shabnam Jawahar
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Michael Shlossman
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Christina A. Bulman
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Chelsea Fischer
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | | | - Judy A. Sakanari
- Dept. of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Sara Lustigman
- Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, New York, United States of America
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Hübner MP, Ehrens A, Koschel M, Dubben B, Lenz F, Frohberger SJ, Specht S, Quirynen L, Lachau-Durand S, Tekle F, Baeten B, Engelen M, Mackenzie CD, Hoerauf A. Macrofilaricidal efficacy of single and repeated oral and subcutaneous doses of flubendazole in Litomosoides sigmodontis infected jirds. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0006320. [PMID: 30650105 PMCID: PMC6334906 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Flubendazole (FBZ) is highly efficacious against filarial nematodes after parenteral administration and presents a promising macrofilaricidal drug candidate for the elimination of onchocerciasis and other filariae. In the present study the efficacy of a newly developed bioavailable amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) oral formulation of FBZ was investigated in the Litomosoides sigmodontis jird model. FBZ was administered to chronically infected, microfilariae-positive jirds by single (40mg/kg), repeated (2, 6 or 15mg/kg for 5 or 10 days) oral (OR) doses or single subcutaneous (SC) injections (2 or 10mg/kg). Jirds treated with 5 SC injections at 10mg/kg served as positive controls, with untreated animals used as negative controls. After OR doses, FBZ is rapidly absorbed and cleared and the exposures increased dose proportionally. SC administered FBZ was slowly released from the injection site and plasma levels remained constant up to necropsy eight weeks after treatment end. Increasing single SC doses caused less than dose-proportional exposures. At necropsy, all animals receiving 1x or 5x 10mg/kg SC FBZ had cleared all adult worms and the 1x 2mg/kg SC treatment had reduced the adult worm burden by 98%. 10x 15mg/kg OR FBZ reduced the adult worm burden by 95%, whereas 1x 40mg/kg and 5x 15mg/kg OR reduced the worm burden by 85 and 84%, respectively. Microfilaremia was completely cleared at necropsy in all animals of the SC treatment regimens, while all oral FBZ treatment regimens reduced the microfilaremia by >90% in a dose and duration dependent manner. In accordance, embryograms from female worms revealed a FBZ dose and duration dependent inhibition of embryogenesis. Histological analysis of the remaining female adult worms showed that FBZ had damaged the body wall, intestine and most prominently the uterus and uterine content. Results of this study demonstrate that single and repeated SC injections and repeated oral administrations of FBZ have an excellent macrofilaricidal effect. Onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis are debilitating human diseases that are caused by filarial nematodes leading to blindness and severe dermatitis (onchocerciasis) or lymphedema (elephantiasis) and hydroceles. Current mass drug administration (MDA) programs are restricted to the use of drugs that target the filarial offspring, the microfilariae, and lead to a temporary sterilization of the female adult worms that requires annual to bi-annual MDA for the life span of the fertile adult worms. With lower endemicity, the cost-effectiveness of community-directed MDA is reduced, requiring alternative treatment strategies to ultimately eliminate these filarial infections. Therefore, new drugs targeting the adult worms are required for achieving elimination of those filarial diseases, to provide options in areas of drug resistance, and as an approach in areas of Loa loa co-endemicity, where life-threatening severe adverse events may occur through the use of microfilaricidal drugs. Such new drugs should have a macrofilaricidal effect, i.e. kill the adult worms or lead to a permanent sterilization. Furthermore, these drugs should be preferably administered as an oral formulation or by a single parenteral administration. In the current study we tested a new oral formulation of flubendazole using the rodent filarial nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis, and have demonstrated excellent macrofilaricidal efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc P. Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Alexandra Ehrens
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marianne Koschel
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Bettina Dubben
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Franziska Lenz
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefan J. Frohberger
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sabine Specht
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Fetene Tekle
- Janssen R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Benny Baeten
- Janssen R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Marc Engelen
- Janssen R&D, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Beerse, Belgium
| | - Charles D. Mackenzie
- Neglected Tropical Disease Support Center, Task Force for Global Health, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
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Specht S, Pfarr KM, Arriens S, Hübner MP, Klarmann-Schulz U, Koschel M, Sternberg S, Martin C, Ford L, Taylor MJ, Hoerauf A. Combinations of registered drugs reduce treatment times required to deplete Wolbachia in the Litomosoides sigmodontis mouse model. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006116. [PMID: 29300732 PMCID: PMC5771630 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2017] [Revised: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Filarial parasites can be targeted by antibiotic treatment due to their unique endosymbiotic relationship with Wolbachia bacteria. This finding has led to successful treatment strategies in both, human onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. A 4–6 week treatment course using doxycycline results in long-term sterility and safe macrofilaricidal activity in humans. However, current treatment times and doxycycline contraindications in children and pregnant women preclude widespread administration of doxycycline in public health control programs; therefore, the search for shorter anti-wolbachial regimens is a focus of ongoing research. We have established an in vivo model for compound screening, using mice infected with Litomosoides sigmodontis. We could show that gold standard doxycycline treatment did not only deplete Wolbachia, it also resulted in a larval arrest. In this model, combinations of registered antibiotics were tested for their anti-wolbachial activity. Administration of rifamycins in combination with doxycycline for 7 days successfully depleted Wolbachia by > 2 log (>99% reduction) and thus resulted in a significant reduction of the treatment duration. Using a triple combination of a tetracycline (doxycycline or minocycline), a rifamycin and a fluoroquinolone (moxifloxacin) led to an even greater shortening of the treatment time. Testing all double combinations that could be derived from the triple combinations revealed that the combination of rifapentine (15mg/kg) and moxifloxacin (2 x 200mg/kg) showed the strongest reduction of treatment time in intraperitoneal and also oral administration routes. The rifapentine plus moxifloxacin combination was equivalent to the triple combination with additional doxycycline (>99% Wolbachia reduction). These investigations suggest that it is possible to shorten anti-wolbachial treatment times with combination treatments in order to achieve the target product profile (TPP) requirements for macrofilaricidal drugs of no more than 7–10 days of treatment. Over the past years, more attention has been brought to neglected tropical diseases including lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. The latter are caused by helminthic parasites and lead to chronic and debilitating symptoms and present a major health burden that also affects the economy of endemic countries. It has been suggested that disease elimination may be possible but an accelerated implementation of proven and cost-effective interventions are needed if the targets for elimination are to be achieved. Recently, an indirect mode of action has been identified, targeting bacterial Wolbachia endosymbionts within the filariae, which also kills the adult parasites, an advantage over the drug currently used for mass drug administration, i.e. ivermectin. Doxycycline has been successfully used in clinical trials, however due to its long regimen as well as restrictions of use in children and pregnant women new drugs or drug combinations are required that overcome these obstacles. Here, we present the filarial parasite Litomosoides sigmodontis as suitable model for the preclinical testing of anti-wolbachial drugs against filariae and show that combinations of already registered drugs with anti-wolbachial efficacy are able to reduce the treatment time dramatically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Specht
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Institute for Laboratory Animal Science, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Kenneth M. Pfarr
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sandra Arriens
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marc P. Hübner
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ute Klarmann-Schulz
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marianne Koschel
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sonja Sternberg
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Coralie Martin
- UMR 7245 MCAM MNHN CNRS, Museum National d`Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Louise Ford
- Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Mark J. Taylor
- Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, Bonn, Germany
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Bennuru S, O'Connell EM, Drame PM, Nutman TB. Mining Filarial Genomes for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Targets. Trends Parasitol 2017; 34:80-90. [PMID: 29031509 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2017.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Filarial infections of humans cause some of the most important neglected tropical diseases. The global efforts for eliminating filarial infections by mass drug administration programs may require additional tools (safe macrofilaricidal drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic biomarkers). The accurate and sensitive detection of viable parasites is essential for diagnosis and for surveillance programs. Current community-wide treatment modalities do not kill the adult filarial worms effectively; hence, there is a need to identify and develop safe macrofilaricidal drugs. High-throughput sequencing, mass spectroscopy methods and advances in computational biology have greatly accelerated the discovery process. Here, we describe post-genomic developments toward the identification of diagnostic biomarkers and drug targets for the filarial infection of humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasisekhar Bennuru
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Elise M O'Connell
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Papa M Drame
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Thomas B Nutman
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Lustigman S, Makepeace BL, Klei TR, Babayan SA, Hotez P, Abraham D, Bottazzi ME. Onchocerca volvulus: The Road from Basic Biology to a Vaccine. Trends Parasitol 2017; 34:64-79. [PMID: 28958602 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2017.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 08/27/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Human onchocerciasis - commonly known as river blindness - is one of the most devastating yet neglected tropical diseases, leaving many millions in sub-Saharan Africa blind and/or with chronic disabilities. Attempts to eliminate onchocerciasis, primarily through the mass drug administration of ivermectin, remains challenging and has been heightened by the recent news that drug-resistant parasites are developing in some populations after years of drug treatment. Needed, and needed now, in the fight to eliminate onchocerciasis are new tools, such as preventive and therapeutic vaccines. This review summarizes the progress made to advance the onchocerciasis vaccine from the research laboratory into the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Lustigman
- Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Benjamin L Makepeace
- Department of Infection Biology, Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Thomas R Klei
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Simon A Babayan
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow and Moredun Research Institute, Glasgow, UK
| | - Peter Hotez
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Tropical Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - David Abraham
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Maria Elena Bottazzi
- Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Tropical Medicine, National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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39
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Carithers DS. Examining the role of macrolides and host immunity in combatting filarial parasites. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:182. [PMID: 28410595 PMCID: PMC5391593 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2116-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Macrocyclic lactones (MLs), specifically the avermectins and milbemycins, are known for their effectiveness against a broad spectrum of disease-causing nematodes and arthropods in humans and animals. In most nematodes, drugs in this class induce paralysis, resulting in starvation, impaired ability to remain associated with their anatomical environment, and death of all life stages. Initially, this was also thought to be the ML mode of action against filarial nematodes, but researchers have not been able to validate these characteristic effects of immobilization/starvation of MLs in vitro, even at higher doses than are possible in vivo. Relatively recently, ML receptor sites exclusively located proximate to the excretory-secretory (ES) apparatus were identified in Brugia malayi microfilaria and an ML-induced suppression of secretory protein release by B. malayi microfilariae was demonstrated in vitro. It is hypothesized here that suppression of these ES proteins prevents the filarial worm from interfering with the host's complement cascade, reducing the ability of the parasite to evade the immune system. Live microfilariae and/or larvae, thus exposed, are attacked and presented to the host's innate immune mechanisms and are ultimately killed by the immune response, not the ML drug. These live, exposed filarial worms stimulate development of innate, cellular and humoral immune responses that when properly stimulated, are capable of clearing all larvae or microfilariae present in the host, regardless of their individual sensitivity to MLs. Additional research in this area can be expected to improve our understanding of the relationships among filarial worms, MLs, and the host immune system, which likely would have implications in filarial disease management in humans and animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doug S Carithers
- Boehringer Ingelheim, 3239 Satellite Boulevard, Duluth, GA, 30096, USA.
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40
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Kwarteng A, Ahuno ST. Immunity in Filarial Infections: Lessons from Animal Models and Human Studies. Scand J Immunol 2017; 85:251-257. [DOI: 10.1111/sji.12533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Kwarteng
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology, PMB; Kumasi Ghana
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR); KNUST, PMB; Kumasi Ghana
| | - S. T. Ahuno
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology, PMB; Kumasi Ghana
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41
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Armstrong SD, Xia D, Bah GS, Krishna R, Ngangyung HF, LaCourse EJ, McSorley HJ, Kengne-Ouafo JA, Chounna-Ndongmo PW, Wanji S, Enyong PA, Taylor DW, Blaxter ML, Wastling JM, Tanya VN, Makepeace BL. Stage-specific Proteomes from Onchocerca ochengi, Sister Species of the Human River Blindness Parasite, Uncover Adaptations to a Nodular Lifestyle. Mol Cell Proteomics 2016; 15:2554-75. [PMID: 27226403 PMCID: PMC4974336 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.m115.055640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Revised: 04/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite 40 years of control efforts, onchocerciasis (river blindness) remains one of the most important neglected tropical diseases, with 17 million people affected. The etiological agent, Onchocerca volvulus, is a filarial nematode with a complex lifecycle involving several distinct stages in the definitive host and blackfly vector. The challenges of obtaining sufficient material have prevented high-throughput studies and the development of novel strategies for disease control and diagnosis. Here, we utilize the closest relative of O. volvulus, the bovine parasite Onchocerca ochengi, to compare stage-specific proteomes and host-parasite interactions within the secretome. We identified a total of 4260 unique O. ochengi proteins from adult males and females, infective larvae, intrauterine microfilariae, and fluid from intradermal nodules. In addition, 135 proteins were detected from the obligate Wolbachia symbiont. Observed protein families that were enriched in all whole body extracts relative to the complete search database included immunoglobulin-domain proteins, whereas redox and detoxification enzymes and proteins involved in intracellular transport displayed stage-specific overrepresentation. Unexpectedly, the larval stages exhibited enrichment for several mitochondrial-related protein families, including members of peptidase family M16 and proteins which mediate mitochondrial fission and fusion. Quantification of proteins across the lifecycle using the Hi-3 approach supported these qualitative analyses. In nodule fluid, we identified 94 O. ochengi secreted proteins, including homologs of transforming growth factor-β and a second member of a novel 6-ShK toxin domain family, which was originally described from a model filarial nematode (Litomosoides sigmodontis). Strikingly, the 498 bovine proteins identified in nodule fluid were strongly dominated by antimicrobial proteins, especially cathelicidins. This first high-throughput analysis of an Onchocerca spp. proteome across the lifecycle highlights its profound complexity and emphasizes the extremely close relationship between O. ochengi and O. volvulus The insights presented here provide new candidates for vaccine development, drug targeting and diagnostic biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart D Armstrong
- From the ‡Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
| | - Dong Xia
- From the ‡Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
| | - Germanus S Bah
- §Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement, Regional Centre of Wakwa, BP65 Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - Ritesh Krishna
- ¶Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Henrietta F Ngangyung
- §Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement, Regional Centre of Wakwa, BP65 Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - E James LaCourse
- ‖Department of Parasitology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, L3 5QA, UK
| | - Henry J McSorley
- **The Queens Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4JT
| | - Jonas A Kengne-Ouafo
- ‡‡Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and Environment, PO Box 474 Buea, Cameroon
| | | | - Samuel Wanji
- ‡‡Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and Environment, PO Box 474 Buea, Cameroon
| | - Peter A Enyong
- ‡‡Research Foundation for Tropical Diseases and Environment, PO Box 474 Buea, Cameroon; §§Tropical Medicine Research Station, Kumba, Cameroon
| | - David W Taylor
- From the ‡Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK; ¶¶Division of Pathway Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| | - Mark L Blaxter
- ‖‖Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| | - Jonathan M Wastling
- From the ‡Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK; ‡‡‡The National Institute for Health Research, Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
| | - Vincent N Tanya
- §Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement, Regional Centre of Wakwa, BP65 Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - Benjamin L Makepeace
- From the ‡Institute of Infection & Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK;
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Fang Z, Xu Q, Wu JQ, Lu SJ, Wang YY, Fang H. A recombinant plasmid of composite cysteine proteinase inhibitor/glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene of periodic Brugia malayi functions on DNA immunity in the host. Indian J Med Microbiol 2016; 34:146-52. [PMID: 27080764 DOI: 10.4103/0255-0857.180279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Both cysteine proteinase inhibitors (CPIs) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) play important roles in the pathogenesis of parasites and their relationship with the hosts. We constructed a new eukaryotic recombinant expression plasmid pcDNA3.1(+)-BmCPI/BmGAPDH of periodic Brugia malayi for investigation of the DNA vaccine-elicited immune responses. MATERIALS AND METHODS We cloned a gene encoding the CPIs and GAPDH from periodic B. malayi into vector pcDNA3.1. The composited plasmid or the control was injected into the tibialis anterior muscle of the hind leg in BALB/c mice, respectively. The target genes were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in muscle tissues. The stimulation index (SI) of T-lymphocyte proliferation and the levels of interferon-gamma (INF-g) and interleukin-4 ( IL-4) in serum were detected by thiazolyl blue tetrazolium blue and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS The pcDNA3.1(+)-BmCPI/BmGAPDH was amplified from muscle tissues of the mice after immunisation. The SI of the immunised group was significantly higher than that of the two control groups (P < 0.05). The levels of INF-g and IL-4 of pcDNA3.1(+)-BmCPI/BmGAPDH group were both higher than those of the two control groups (P < 0.05). The level of INF-g of pcDNA3.1(+)-BmCPI/BmGAPDH group was significantly higher than that of pcDNA3.1(+)-BmCPI/CpG group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1(+)-BmCPI/BmGAPDH could elicit specific humoural and cellular immune responses in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Fang
- Department of Parasitology, Medical College, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China
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Vaccination of Gerbils with Bm-103 and Bm-RAL-2 Concurrently or as a Fusion Protein Confers Consistent and Improved Protection against Brugia malayi Infection. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004586. [PMID: 27045170 PMCID: PMC4821550 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Brugia malayi Bm-103 and Bm-RAL-2 proteins are orthologous to Onchocerca volvulus Ov-103 and Ov-RAL-2, and which were selected as the best candidates for the development of an O. volvulus vaccine. The B. malayi gerbil model was used to confirm the efficacy of these Ov vaccine candidates on adult worms and to determine whether their combination is more efficacious. Methodology and Principle Findings Vaccine efficacy of recombinant Bm-103 and Bm-RAL-2 administered individually, concurrently or as a fusion protein were tested in gerbils using alum as adjuvant. Vaccination with Bm-103 resulted in worm reductions of 39%, 34% and 22% on 42, 120 and 150 days post infection (dpi), respectively, and vaccination with Bm-RAL-2 resulted in worm reductions of 42%, 22% and 46% on 42, 120 and 150 dpi, respectively. Vaccination with a fusion protein comprised of Bm-103 and Bm-RAL-2 resulted in improved efficacy with significant reduction of worm burden of 51% and 49% at 90 dpi, as did the concurrent vaccination with Bm-103 and Bm-RAL-2, with worm reduction of 61% and 56% at 90 dpi. Vaccination with Bm-103 and Bm-RAL-2 as a fusion protein or concurrently not only induced a significant worm reduction of 61% and 42%, respectively, at 150 dpi, but also significantly reduced the fecundity of female worms as determined by embryograms. Elevated levels of antigen-specific IgG were observed in all vaccinated gerbils. Serum from gerbils vaccinated with Bm-103 and Bm-RAL-2 individually, concurrently or as a fusion protein killed third stage larvae in vitro when combined with peritoneal exudate cells. Conclusion Although vaccination with Bm-103 and Bm-RAL-2 individually conferred protection against B. malayi infection in gerbils, a more consistent and enhanced protection was induced by vaccination with Bm-103 and Bm-RAL-2 fusion protein and when they were used concurrently. Further characterization and optimization of these filarial vaccines are warranted. Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic filariasis (LF) are debilitating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Practical challenges in implementation of mass drug administration (MDA) such as prolonged treatment regime requirements and the possible emergence of drug resistance will likely impede the elimination of these NTDs. Hence, the availability of an efficacious prophylactic vaccine would be an invaluable tool. The objective of the present studies was to use the B. malayi-gerbil model of filariasis as a surrogate system to test the efficacy of filarial molecules as vaccine targets for an onchocerciasis vaccine. The vaccine efficacy of Onchocerca volvulus recombinant proteins Ov-RAL-2 and Ov-103 was recently demonstrated using a mouse diffusion chamber model. In this communication, we provide encouraging results on the vaccine efficacy of Bm-RAL-2 and Bm-103, individually or in combination. Our data demonstrate that vaccination with Bm-RAL-2 and Bm-103 concurrently and as a fusion protein confers not only a consistent and significant protection against B. malayi infection in gerbils, but also reduces the fecundity of female worms as demonstrated in embryogram analyses. Our results support the contention that Ov-RAL-2 and Ov-103 are excellent onchocerciasis vaccine candidates and that further investigations leading to their development as a vaccine are warranted.
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Globisch D, Specht S, Pfarr KM, Eubanks LM, Hoerauf A, Janda KD. Litomosoides sigmodontis: a jird urine metabolome study. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2015; 25:5804-7. [PMID: 26573416 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The neglected tropical disease onchocerciasis affects more than 35 million people worldwide with over 95% in Africa. Disease infection initiates from the filarial parasitic nematode Onchocerca volvulus, which is transmitted by the blackfly vector Simulium sp. carrying infectious L3 larvae. New treatments and diagnostics are required to eradicate this parasitic disease. Herein, we describe that a previously discovered biomarker for onchocerciasis, N-acetyltyramine-O-glucuronide (NATOG) is also present in urine samples of jirds infected with the onchocerciasis model nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis. Increased NATOG values paralleled a progressing infection and demonstrated that quantification of NATOG in this rodent model can be utilized to track its infectivity. Moreover, our findings suggest how NATOG monitoring may be used for evaluating potential drug candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Globisch
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States; Department of Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
| | - Sabine Specht
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Straße 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany
| | - Kenneth M Pfarr
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Straße 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany
| | - Lisa M Eubanks
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States; Department of Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Straße 25, 53105 Bonn, Germany
| | - Kim D Janda
- Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States; Department of Immunology, The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Worm Institute of Research and Medicine (WIRM), The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States.
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Boyd A, Killoran K, Mitre E, Nutman TB. Pleural cavity type 2 innate lymphoid cells precede Th2 expansion in murine Litomosoides sigmodontis infection. Exp Parasitol 2015; 159:118-26. [PMID: 26394284 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2015.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2014] [Revised: 08/19/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Recently, a family of innate cells has been identified that respond to IL-25 and IL-33 in murine intestinal helminths. Termed Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) they facilitate the development of Th2 responses responsible for helminth clearance. We evaluated these cells in a tissue-invasive helminth model. Using Litomosides sigmodontis (a strong Th2 polarizing filarial infection) we observed a robust Th2 response in the pleural cavity, where adult worms reside, marked by increased levels of IL-5 and IL-13 in infected mice. In parallel, ILC2s were expanded in the pleural cavity early in the infection, peaking during the pre-patent period. L. sigmodontis also elicits a strong systemic Th2 response, which includes significantly increased levels of IgG1, IgE and IL-5 in the plasma of infected mice. Although ILC2s were expanded locally, they were not expanded in the spleen, blood, or mediastinal lymph nodes in response to L. sigmodontis infection, suggesting that ILC2s function primarily at the site of infection. The increase in ILC2s in the pleural cavity and the expansion in Th2 responses indicates a probable role for these cells in initiating and maintaining the Th2 response and highlights the importance of these cells in helminth infections and their role in Th2 immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Boyd
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kristin Killoran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Edward Mitre
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Thomas B Nutman
- Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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Morris CP, Bennuru S, Kropp LE, Zweben JA, Meng Z, Taylor RT, Chan K, Veenstra TD, Nutman TB, Mitre E. A Proteomic Analysis of the Body Wall, Digestive Tract, and Reproductive Tract of Brugia malayi. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9:e0004054. [PMID: 26367142 PMCID: PMC4569401 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Filarial worms are parasitic nematodes that cause devastating diseases such as lymphatic filariasis (LF) and onchocerciasis. Filariae are nematodes with complex anatomy including fully developed digestive tracts and reproductive organs. To better understand the basic biology of filarial parasites and to provide insights into drug targets and vaccine design, we conducted a proteomic analysis of different anatomic fractions of Brugia malayi, a causative agent of LF. Approximately 500 adult female B. malayi worms were dissected, and three anatomical fractions (body wall, digestive tract, and reproductive tract) were obtained. Proteins from each anatomical fraction were extracted, desalted, trypsinized, and analyzed by microcapillary reverse-phase liquid chromatography-tandem-mass spectrometry. In total, we identified 4,785 B. malayi proteins. While 1,894 were identified in all three anatomic fractions, 396 were positively identified only within the digestive tract, 114 only within the body wall, and 1,011 only within the reproductive tract. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed a bias for transporters to be present within the digestive tract, suggesting that the intestine of adult filariae is functional and important for nutrient uptake or waste removal. As expected, the body wall exhibited increased frequencies of cytoskeletal proteins, and the reproductive tract had increased frequencies of proteins involved in nuclear regulation and transcription. In assessing for possible vaccine candidates, we focused on proteins sequestered within the digestive tract, as these could possibly represent “hidden antigens” with low risk of prior allergic sensitization. We identified 106 proteins that are enriched in the digestive tract and are predicted to localize to the surface of cells in the the digestive tract. It is possible that some of these proteins are on the luminal surface and may be accessible by antibodies ingested by the worm. A subset of 27 of these proteins appear especially promising vaccine candidates as they contain significant non-cytoplasmic domains, only 1–2 transmembrane domains, and a high degree of homology to W. bancrofti and/or O. volvulus. Filarial worms are parasitic worms that can live for years within humans and cause diseases such as elephantiasis and river blindness. In this study, we identified the proteins that exist within the worm's digestive tract, reproductive tract, and body wall. In addition to increasing our understanding of the basic biology of these parasites, this information is valuable for predicting which proteins may be candidates for vaccine development and rational drug design. Specifically, by analyzing which intestinal proteins are likely expressed on the surface of cells contained within the parasite's digestive tract and have little similarity to human proteins, we identified 27 possible vaccine candidates that warrant further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Paul Morris
- Department of Microbiology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sasisekhar Bennuru
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Laura E. Kropp
- Department of Microbiology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jesse A. Zweben
- Department of Microbiology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Zhaojing Meng
- Protein Characterization Laboratory Cancer Research Technology Program, Leidos Biomedical Research inc., Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Rebekah T. Taylor
- Department of Biology, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Maryland, United States of America
| | - King Chan
- Protein Characterization Laboratory Cancer Research Technology Program, Leidos Biomedical Research inc., Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Timothy D. Veenstra
- Protein Characterization Laboratory Cancer Research Technology Program, Leidos Biomedical Research inc., Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Thomas B. Nutman
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Edward Mitre
- Department of Microbiology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Layland LE, Ajendra J, Ritter M, Wiszniewsky A, Hoerauf A, Hübner MP. Development of patent Litomosoides sigmodontis infections in semi-susceptible C57BL/6 mice in the absence of adaptive immune responses. Parasit Vectors 2015. [PMID: 26209319 PMCID: PMC4514938 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1011-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background One of the most advantageous research aspects of the murine model of filariasis, Litomosoides sigmodontis, is the availability of mouse strains with varying susceptibility to the nematode infection. In C57BL/6 mice, L. sigmodontis worms are largely eliminated in this strain by day 40 post-infection and never produce their offspring, microfilariae (Mf). This provides a unique opportunity to decipher potential immune pathways that are required by filariae to achieve a successful infection. In this study we tracked worm development and patency, the production of microfilariae and thus the transmission life-stage, in Rag2IL-2Rγ−/− mice which are deficient in T, B and NK cell populations. Findings Although worm burden was comparable between wildtype (WT) and Rag2IL-2Rγ−/− mice on d30, by day 72 post-infection, parasites in Rag2IL-2Rγ−/− mice were still in abundance, freely motile and all mice presented high quantities of Mf both at the site of infection, the thoracic cavity (TC), and in peripheral blood. Levels of cytokine (IL-4, IL-6, TNFα) and chemokine (MIP-2, RANTES, Eotaxin) parameters were generally low in the TC of infected Rag2IL-2Rγ−/−mice at both time-points. The frequency of neutrophils however was higher in Rag2IL-2Rγ−/−mice whereas eosinophils and macrophage populations, including alternatively activated macrophages, were elevated in WT controls. Conclusion Our data highlight that adaptive immune responses prevent the development of patent L. sigmodontis infections in semi-susceptible C57BL/6 mice and suggest that induction of such responses may offer a strategy to prevent transmission of human filariasis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-015-1011-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Layland
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital of Bonn, Sigmund Freud Straße 25, Bonn, 53105, Germany.
| | - Jesuthas Ajendra
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital of Bonn, Sigmund Freud Straße 25, Bonn, 53105, Germany.
| | - Manuel Ritter
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital of Bonn, Sigmund Freud Straße 25, Bonn, 53105, Germany.
| | - Anna Wiszniewsky
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital of Bonn, Sigmund Freud Straße 25, Bonn, 53105, Germany.
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital of Bonn, Sigmund Freud Straße 25, Bonn, 53105, Germany.
| | - Marc P Hübner
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital of Bonn, Sigmund Freud Straße 25, Bonn, 53105, Germany.
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Abstract
Helminth parasites infect over one fourth of the human population and are highly prevalent in livestock worldwide. In model systems, parasites are strongly immunomodulatory, but the immune system can be driven to expel them by prior vaccination. However, no vaccines are currently available for human use. Recent advances in vaccination with recombinant helminth antigens have been successful against cestode infections of livestock and new vaccines are being tested against nematode parasites of animals. Numerous vaccine antigens are being defined for a wide range of helminth parasite species, but greater understanding is needed to define the mechanisms of vaccine-induced immunity, to lay a rational platform for new vaccines and their optimal design. With human trials underway for hookworm and schistosomiasis vaccines, a greater integration between veterinary and human studies will highlight the common molecular and mechanistic pathways, and accelerate progress towards reducing the global health burden of helminth infection.
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Armstrong SD, Babayan SA, Lhermitte-Vallarino N, Gray N, Xia D, Martin C, Kumar S, Taylor DW, Blaxter ML, Wastling JM, Makepeace BL. Comparative analysis of the secretome from a model filarial nematode (Litomosoides sigmodontis) reveals maximal diversity in gravid female parasites. Mol Cell Proteomics 2014; 13:2527-44. [PMID: 24958169 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.m114.038539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Filarial nematodes (superfamily Filarioidea) are responsible for an annual global health burden of ∼6.3 million disability-adjusted life-years, which represents the greatest single component of morbidity attributable to helminths affecting humans. No vaccine exists for the major filarial diseases, lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis; in part because research on protective immunity against filariae has been constrained by the inability of the human-parasitic species to complete their lifecycles in laboratory mice. However, the rodent filaria Litomosoides sigmodontis has become a popular experimental model, as BALB/c mice are fully permissive for its development and reproduction. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of excretory-secretory products from L. sigmodontis across five lifecycle stages and identifications of host proteins associated with first-stage larvae (microfilariae) in the blood. Applying intensity-based quantification, we determined the abundance of 302 unique excretory-secretory proteins, of which 64.6% were present in quantifiable amounts only from gravid adult female nematodes. This lifecycle stage, together with immature microfilariae, released four proteins that have not previously been evaluated as vaccine candidates: a predicted 28.5 kDa filaria-specific protein, a zonadhesin and SCO-spondin-like protein, a vitellogenin, and a protein containing six metridin-like ShK toxin domains. Female nematodes also released two proteins derived from the obligate Wolbachia symbiont. Notably, excretory-secretory products from all parasite stages contained several uncharacterized members of the transthyretin-like protein family. Furthermore, biotin labeling revealed that redox proteins and enzymes involved in purinergic signaling were enriched on the adult nematode cuticle. Comparison of the L. sigmodontis adult secretome with that of the human-infective filarial nematode Brugia malayi (reported previously in three independent published studies) identified differences that suggest a considerable underlying diversity of potential immunomodulators. The molecules identified in L. sigmodontis excretory-secretory products show promise not only for vaccination against filarial infections, but for the amelioration of allergy and autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart D Armstrong
- From the ‡Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
| | - Simon A Babayan
- §Centre for Immunity, Infection & Evolution and Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| | | | - Nick Gray
- §Centre for Immunity, Infection & Evolution and Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| | - Dong Xia
- From the ‡Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
| | - Coralie Martin
- ¶UMR 7245 MCAM CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 75231 Paris, France
| | - Sujai Kumar
- §Centre for Immunity, Infection & Evolution and Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| | - David W Taylor
- ‖Division of Pathway Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| | - Mark L Blaxter
- §Centre for Immunity, Infection & Evolution and Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK
| | - Jonathan M Wastling
- From the ‡Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK; **The National Institute for Health Research, Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK
| | - Benjamin L Makepeace
- From the ‡Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L3 5RF, UK;
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Vaccines to combat river blindness: expression, selection and formulation of vaccines against infection with Onchocerca volvulus in a mouse model. Int J Parasitol 2014; 44:637-46. [PMID: 24907553 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2014.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Human onchocerciasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by Onchocerca volvulus and an important cause of blindness and chronic disability in the developing world. Although mass drug administration of ivermectin has had a profound effect on control of the disease, additional tools are critically needed including the need for a vaccine against onchocerciasis. The objectives of the present study were to: (i) select antigens with known vaccine pedigrees as components of a vaccine; (ii) produce the selected vaccine antigens under controlled conditions, using two expression systems and in one laboratory and (iii) evaluate their vaccine efficacy using a single immunisation protocol in mice. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that joining protective antigens as a fusion protein or in combination, into a multivalent vaccine, would improve the ability of the vaccine to induce protective immunity. Out of eight vaccine candidates tested in this study, Ov-103, Ov-RAL-2 and Ov-CPI-2M were shown to reproducibly induce protective immunity when administered individually, as fusion proteins or in combination. Although there was no increase in the level of protective immunity induced by combining the antigens into one vaccine, these antigens remain strong candidates for inclusion in a vaccine to control onchocerciasis in humans.
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