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Eboumbou Moukoko CE, Etang J, Kojom Foko LP, Tafock CD, Epee Eboumbou P, Essangui Same EG, Penda IC, Same Ekobo A. Rationalizing artemisinin-based combination therapies use for treatment of uncomplicated malaria: A situation analysis in health facilities and private pharmacies of Douala 5e-Cameroon. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299517. [PMID: 38713730 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299517] [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: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) represent one of the mainstays of malaria control. Despite evidence of the risk of ACTs resistant infections in resource-limited countries, studies on the rational use of ACTs to inform interventions and prevent their emergence and/or spread are limited. The aim of this study was designed to analyze practices toward ACTs use for treating the treatment of uncomplicated malaria (UM) in an urban community. Between November 2015 and April 2016, a cross-sectional and prospective study was conducted in the 6 health facilities and all pharmacies in the Douala 5e subdivision, Cameroon. Anonymous interviews including both open- and closed-ended questions were conducted with selected participants among drug prescribers, patients attending the health facilities, and customers visiting the pharmacies. Data analysis was performed using StataSE11 software (version 11 SE). A total of 41 prescribers were included in the study. All were aware of national treatment guidelines, but 37.7% reported not waiting for test results before prescribing an antimalarial drug, and the main reason being stock-outs at health facilities. Likewise, artemether+lumefantrine/AL (81%) and dihydroartemisinin+piperaquine (63.5%) were the most commonly used first- and second-line drugs respectively. Biological tests were requested in 99.2% (128/129) of patients in health facilities, 60.0% (74) were performed and 6.2% were rationally managed. Overall 266 (35%) of 760 customers purchased antimalarial drugs, of these, 261 (98.1%) agreed to participate and of these, 69.4% purchased antimalarial drugs without a prescription. ACTs accounted for 90.0% of antimalarials purchased from pharmacies, of which AL was the most commonly prescribed antimalarial drug (67.1%), and only 19.5% of patients were appropriately dispensed. The current data suggest a gap between the knowledge and practices of prescribers as well as patients and customers misconceptions regarding the use of ACTs in Douala 5e subdivision. Despite government efforts to increase public awareness regarding the use of ACTs as first-line treatment for UM, our findings point out a critical need for the development, implementation and scaling-up of control strategies and continuing health education for better use of ACTs (prescription and dispensing) in Cameroon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carole Else Eboumbou Moukoko
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
- Malaria Research Unit, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Mycology and Virology, Postgraduate Training Unit for Health Sciences, Postgraduate School for Pure and Applied Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Josiane Etang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
- Yaoundé Research Institut, Organisation de Coordination pour la Lutte Contre les Endémies en Afrique Centrale (OCEAC), Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Loick Pradel Kojom Foko
- Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Christian Donald Tafock
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Patricia Epee Eboumbou
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Mycology and Virology, Postgraduate Training Unit for Health Sciences, Postgraduate School for Pure and Applied Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
- Clinical Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
- Pediatric wards, Bonassama Hospital, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Estelle Géraldine Essangui Same
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Mycology and Virology, Postgraduate Training Unit for Health Sciences, Postgraduate School for Pure and Applied Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Ida Calixte Penda
- Clinical Sciences Department, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Albert Same Ekobo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
- National Roll Back Malaria Committee, Yaoundé, Cameroon
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Ahmad T, Alhammadi BA, Almaazmi SY, Arafa S, Blatch GL, Dutta T, Gestwicki JE, Keyzers RA, Shonhai A, Singh H. Plasmodium falciparum heat shock proteins as antimalarial drug targets: An update. Cell Stress Chaperones 2024; 29:326-337. [PMID: 38518861 PMCID: PMC10990865 DOI: 10.1016/j.cstres.2024.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Global efforts to eradicate malaria are threatened by multiple factors, particularly the emergence of antimalarial drug resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Heat shock proteins (HSPs), particularly P. falciparum HSPs (PfHSPs), represent promising drug targets due to their essential roles in parasite survival and virulence across the various life cycle stages. Despite structural similarities between human and malarial HSPs posing challenges, there is substantial evidence for subtle differences that could be exploited for selective drug targeting. This review provides an update on the potential of targeting various PfHSP families (particularly PfHSP40, PfHSP70, and PfHSP90) and their interactions within PfHSP complexes as a strategy to develop new antimalarial drugs. In addition, the need for a deeper understanding of the role of HSP complexes at the host-parasite interface is highlighted, especially heterologous partnerships between human and malarial HSPs, as this opens novel opportunities for targeting protein-protein interactions crucial for malaria parasite survival and pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanveer Ahmad
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Bushra A Alhammadi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Shaikha Y Almaazmi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Sahar Arafa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
| | - Gregory L Blatch
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates; Biomedical Biotechnology Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa.
| | - Tanima Dutta
- Department of Diagnostic Genomics, Pathwest, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jason E Gestwicki
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Robert A Keyzers
- Centre for Biodiscovery & School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Addmore Shonhai
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
| | - Harpreet Singh
- Department of Bioinformatics, Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar, Punjab, India
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Oduor CI, Cunningham C, Rustamzade N, Zuromski J, Chin DM, Nixon CP, Kurtis JD, Juliano JJ, Bailey JA. Single cell transcriptional changes across the blood stages of artemisinin resistant K13 C580Y mutant Plasmodium falciparum upon dihydroartemisinin exposure. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.06.570387. [PMID: 38105992 PMCID: PMC10723473 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.06.570387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Artemisinins have been a cornerstone of malaria control, but resistance in Plasmodium falciparum, due to mutations in the Kelch 13 gene, threaten these advances. Artemisinin exposure results in a dynamic transcriptional response across multiple pathways, but most work has focused on ring stages and ex vivo transcriptional analysis, limiting evaluation of all life cycle stages. We applied single cell RNAseq to two unsynchronized isogenic parasite lines (K13C580 and K13580Y) over 6 hrs after a pulse exposure to dihydroartemisinin (DHA). Transcription was altered across all stages, with the greatest occurring at the early trophozoite and mid ring stage in both lines. This response involved the arrest of metabolic processes and the enhancement of protein trafficking and the unfolded protein response. While similar, the response was enhanced in the K13580Y mutant, which may lead to the dormancy phenomenon upon treatment. Increased surface protein expression was seen in mutant parasites at baseline and upon drug exposure, highlighted by the increased expression of PfEMP1 and GARP, a potential therapeutic target. Antibody targeting GARP maintained anti-parasitic efficacy in mutant parasites. This work provides single cell insight of gene transcription across all life cycle stages revealing transcriptional changes that could initiate dormancy state and mediate survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cliff I. Oduor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI
| | - Clark Cunningham
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Nazrin Rustamzade
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI
| | - Jenna Zuromski
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI
| | - Deborah M. Chin
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI
| | - Christian P. Nixon
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI
| | - Jonathan D. Kurtis
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI
| | - Jonathan J. Juliano
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Jeffrey A Bailey
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI
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Reyser T, Paloque L, Nguyen M, Augereau JM, Fuchter MJ, Lopez M, Arimondo PB, Hassell-Hart S, Spencer J, Di Stefano L, Benoit-Vical F. Epidrugs as Promising Tools to Eliminate Plasmodium falciparum Artemisinin-Resistant and Quiescent Parasites. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2440. [PMID: 37896200 PMCID: PMC10610379 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15102440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of artemisinin and its derivatives has helped reduce the burden of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. However, artemisinin-resistant parasites are able, in the presence of artemisinins, to stop their cell cycles. This quiescent state can alter the activity of artemisinin partner drugs leading to a secondary drug resistance and thus threatens malaria eradication strategies. Drugs targeting epigenetic mechanisms (namely epidrugs) are emerging as potential antimalarial drugs. Here, we set out to evaluate a selection of various epidrugs for their activity against quiescent parasites, to explore the possibility of using these compounds to counter artemisinin resistance. The 32 chosen epidrugs were first screened for their antiplasmodial activity and selectivity. We then demonstrated, thanks to the specific Quiescent-stage Survival Assay, that four epidrugs targeting both histone methylation or deacetylation as well as DNA methylation decrease the ability of artemisinin-resistant parasites to recover after artemisinin exposure. In the quest for novel antiplasmodial drugs with new modes of action, these results reinforce the therapeutic potential of epidrugs as antiplasmodial drugs especially in the context of artemisinin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaud Reyser
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 31077 Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, 31077 Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UPS), 31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Lucie Paloque
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 31077 Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, 31077 Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UPS), 31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Michel Nguyen
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 31077 Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, 31077 Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UPS), 31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Michel Augereau
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 31077 Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, 31077 Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UPS), 31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Matthew John Fuchter
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, White City Campus, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Marie Lopez
- Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron (IBMM), CNRS, Université de Montpellier, ENSCM UMR 5247, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Paola B Arimondo
- Epigenetic Chemical Biology, Department of Structural Biology and Chemistry, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris-Cité, UMR 3523 CNRS, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Storm Hassell-Hart
- Department of Chemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer BN1 9QJ, UK
| | - John Spencer
- Department of Chemistry, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer BN1 9QJ, UK
| | - Luisa Di Stefano
- MCD, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Françoise Benoit-Vical
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, 31077 Toulouse, France
- MAAP, New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, Inserm ERL 1289, 31077 Toulouse, France
- Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale (IPBS), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier (UPS), 31077 Toulouse, France
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Akinola O, Ategbero E, Amusan AI, Gbotosho GO. Comparative efficacy of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine against malaria infection during late-stage pregnancy in mice. Exp Parasitol 2023; 248:108500. [PMID: 36893971 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2023.108500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
The introduction of artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) against malaria infections opened up a window of possibilities to combat malaria in pregnancy. However, the usefulness of ACTs in all stages of pregnancy must be critically assessed. This study was designed to evaluate dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHAP) as a suitable alternative to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) in the treatment of malaria during third-trimester pregnancy in mice. Experimental animals were inoculated with a parasitic dose of 1x106Plasmodium berghei (ANKA strain) infected erythrocytes and randomly allocated into treatment groups. The animals received standard doses of chloroquine alone (CQ)[10 mg/kg], SP [25 mg/kg] and [1.25 mg/kg] and DHAP [4 mg/kg] and [18 mg/kg] combinations. Maternal and pupil survival, litter sizes, pup weight and still-births were recorded, while the effect of the drug combinations on parasite suppression, recrudescence and parasite clearance time were evaluated. The day 4 chemo-suppression of parasitemia by DHAP in infected animals was comparable to SP, and CQ treatment (P > 0.05). The mean recrudescence time was significantly delayed (P = 0.031) in the DHAP treatment group compared to the CQ treatment group, while, there was no recrudescence in animals treated with SP. The birth rate in the SP group was significantly higher than in the DHAP group (P < 0.05). There was 100% maternal and pup survival in both combination treatments comparable with the uninfected gravid controls. The overall parasitological activity of SP against Plasmodium berghei in late-stage pregnancy appeared better than DHAP. In addition, SP treatment resulted in better birth outcomes assessed compared to DHAP treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olugbenga Akinola
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria; Malaria Research Laboratories, Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
| | - Elizabeth Ategbero
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
| | - Abiodun I Amusan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria; Malaria Research Laboratories, Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
| | - Grace O Gbotosho
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; Malaria Research Laboratories, Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
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Targeting Artemisinin-Resistant Malaria by Repurposing the Anti-Hepatitis C Virus Drug Alisporivir. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022; 66:e0039222. [PMID: 36374050 PMCID: PMC9765015 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00392-22] [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: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of Plasmodium falciparum resistance raises an urgent need to find new antimalarial drugs. Here, we report the rational repurposing of the anti-hepatitis C virus drug, alisporivir, a nonimmunosuppressive analog of cyclosporin A, against artemisinin-resistant strains of P. falciparum. In silico docking studies and molecular dynamic simulation predicted strong interaction of alisporivir with PfCyclophilin 19B, confirmed through biophysical assays with a Kd value of 354.3 nM. Alisporivir showed potent antimalarial activity against chloroquine-resistant (PfRKL-9 with resistance index [Ri] 2.14 ± 0.23) and artemisinin-resistant (PfKelch13R539T with Ri 1.15 ± 0.04) parasites. The Ri is defined as the ratio between the IC50 values of the resistant line to that of the sensitive line. To further investigate the mechanism involved, we analyzed the expression level of PfCyclophilin 19B in artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum (PfKelch13R539T). Semiquantitative real-time transcript, Western blot, and immunofluorescence analyses confirmed the overexpression of PfCyclophilin 19B in PfKelch13R539T. A 50% inhibitory concentration in the nanomolar range, together with the targeting of PfCyclophilin 19B, suggests that alisporivir can be used in combination with artemisinin. Since artemisinin resistance slows the clearance of ring-stage parasites, we performed a ring survival assay on artemisinin-resistant strain PfKelch13R539T and found significant decrease in parasite survival with alisporivir. Alisporivir was found to act synergistically with dihydroartemisinin and increase its efficacy. Furthermore, alisporivir exhibited antimalarial activity in vivo. Altogether, with the rational target-based Repurposing of alisporivir against malaria, our results support the hypothesis that targeting resistance mechanisms is a viable approach toward dealing with drug-resistant parasite.
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Müller J, Schlange C, Heller M, Uldry AC, Braga-Lagache S, Haynes RK, Hemphill A. Proteomic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii ME49 derived strains resistant to the artemisinin derivatives artemiside and artemisone implies potential mode of action independent of ROS formation. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2022; 21:1-12. [PMID: 36512904 PMCID: PMC9763631 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2022.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin and its amino-artemisinin derivatives artemiside (GC008) and artemisone (GC003) are potent antimalarials. The mode of action of artemisinins against Plasmodium sp is popularly ascribed to 'activation' of the peroxide group by heme-Fe(II) or labile Fe(II) to generate C-radicals that alkylate parasite proteins. An alternative postulate is that artemisinins elicit formation of reactive oxygen species by interfering with flavin disulfide reductases resposible for maintaining intraparasitic redox homeostasis. However, in contradistinction to the heme-activation mechanism, the amino-artemisinins are effective in vitro against non-heme-degrading apicomplexan parasites including T. gondii, with IC 50 values of 50-70 nM, and induce distinct ultrastructural alterations. However, T. gondii strains readily adapted to increased concentrations (2.5 μM) of these two compounds within few days. Thus, T. gondii strains that were resistant against artemisone and artemiside were generated by treating the T. gondii reference strain ME49 with stepwise increasing amounts of these compounds, yielding the artemisone resistant strain GC003R and the artemiside resistant strain GC008R. Differential analyses of the proteomes of these resistant strains compared to the wildtype ME49 revealed that 215 proteins were significantly downregulated in artemisone resistant tachyzoites and only 8 proteins in artemiside resistant tachyzoites as compared to their wildtype. Two proteins, namely a hypothetical protein encoded by ORF TGME49_236950, and the rhoptry neck protein RON2 encoded by ORF TGME49_300100 were downregulated in both resistant strains. Interestingly, eight proteins involved in ROS scavenging including catalase and superoxide dismutase were amongst the differentially downregulated proteins in the artemisone-resistant strain. In parallel, ROS formation was significantly enhanced in isolated tachyzoites from the artemisone resistant strain and - to a lesser extent - in tachyzoites from the artemiside resistant strain as compared to wildtype tachyzoites. These findings suggest that amino-artemisinin derivatives display a mechanism of action in T. gondii distinct from Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Müller
- Institute of Parasitology, University of Bern, Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, Länggass-Strasse 122, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Carling Schlange
- Institute of Parasitology, University of Bern, Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, Länggass-Strasse 122, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Manfred Heller
- Proteomics & Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 15, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Christine Uldry
- Proteomics & Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 15, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Sophie Braga-Lagache
- Proteomics & Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Freiburgstrasse 15, CH-3010, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Richard K Haynes
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
| | - Andrew Hemphill
- Institute of Parasitology, University of Bern, Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, Länggass-Strasse 122, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland.
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Kampoun T, Srichairatanakool S, Prommana P, Shaw PJ, Green JL, Knuepfer E, Holder AA, Uthaipibull C. Apicoplast ribosomal protein S10-V127M enhances artemisinin resistance of a Kelch13 transgenic Plasmodium falciparum. Malar J 2022; 21:302. [PMID: 36303209 PMCID: PMC9615251 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04330-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to artemisinin-based (ART) drugs, the front-line drug family used in artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for treatment of malaria, is of great concern. Mutations in the kelch13 (k13) gene (for example, those resulting in the Cys580Tyr [C580Y] variant) were identified as genetic markers for ART-resistant parasites, which suggests they are associated with resistance mechanisms. However, not all resistant parasites contain a k13 mutation, and clearly greater understanding of resistance mechanisms is required. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) found single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with ART-resistance in fd (ferredoxin), arps10 (apicoplast ribosomal protein S10), mdr2 (multidrug resistance protein 2), and crt (chloroquine resistance transporter), in addition to k13 gene mutations, suggesting that these alleles contribute to the resistance phenotype. The importance of the FD and ARPS10 variants in ART resistance was then studied since both proteins likely function in the apicoplast, which is a location distinct from that of K13. Methods The reported mutations were introduced, together with a mutation to produce the k13-C580Y variant into the ART-sensitive 3D7 parasite line and the effect on ART-susceptibility using the 0−3 h ring survival assay (RSA0−3 h) was investigated. Results and conclusion Introducing both fd-D193Y and arps10-V127M into a k13-C580Y-containing parasite, but not a wild-type k13 parasite, increased survival of the parasite in the RSA0−3 h. The results suggest epistasis of arps10 and k13, with arps10-V127M a modifier of ART susceptibility in different k13 allele backgrounds. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12936-022-04330-3.
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Ward KE, Fidock DA, Bridgford JL. Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinin-based combination therapies. Curr Opin Microbiol 2022; 69:102193. [PMID: 36007459 PMCID: PMC9847095 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2022.102193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites are a major threat to public health in intertropical regions. Understanding the mechanistic basis, origins, and spread of resistance can inform strategies to mitigate its impact and reduce the global burden of malaria. The recent emergence in Africa of partial resistance to artemisinins, the core component of first-line combination therapies, is particularly concerning. Here, we review recent advances in elucidating the mechanistic basis of artemisinin resistance, driven primarily by point mutations in P. falciparum Kelch13, a key regulator of hemoglobin endocytosis and parasite response to artemisinin-induced stress. We also review resistance to partner drugs, including piperaquine and mefloquine, highlighting a key role for plasmepsins 2/3 and the drug and solute transporters P. falciparum chloroquine-resistance transporter and P. falciparum multidrug-resistance protein-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt E Ward
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
| | - Jessica L Bridgford
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
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10
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Yang J, Wang Y, Guan W, Su W, Li G, Zhang S, Yao H. Spiral molecules with antimalarial activities: A review. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 237:114361. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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11
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Artemisinin resistance in the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, originates from its initial transcriptional response. Commun Biol 2022; 5:274. [PMID: 35347215 PMCID: PMC8960834 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03215-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence and spread of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum, first in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), and now in East Africa, is a major threat to global malaria elimination ambitions. To investigate the artemisinin resistance mechanism, transcriptome analysis was conducted of 577 P. falciparum isolates collected in the GMS between 2016–2018. A specific artemisinin resistance-associated transcriptional profile was identified that involves a broad but discrete set of biological functions related to proteotoxic stress, host cytoplasm remodelling, and REDOX metabolism. The artemisinin resistance-associated transcriptional profile evolved from initial transcriptional responses of susceptible parasites to artemisinin. The genetic basis for this adapted response is likely to be complex. Transcriptomic analysis of isolates from the malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) in the Greater Mekong Subregion of Southeast Asia identifies gene expression patterns that are correlated with resistance to a common anti-malaria drug, artemisinin.
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12
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Antimalarial Drug Predictions Using Molecular Descriptors and Machine Learning against Plasmodium Falciparum. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11121750. [PMID: 34944394 PMCID: PMC8698534 DOI: 10.3390/biom11121750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria remains by far one of the most threatening and dangerous illnesses caused by the plasmodium falciparum parasite. Chloroquine (CQ) and first-line artemisinin-based combination treatment (ACT) have long been the drug of choice for the treatment and controlling of malaria; however, the emergence of CQ-resistant and artemisinin resistance parasites is now present in most areas where malaria is endemic. In this work, we developed five machine learning models to predict antimalarial bioactivities of a drug against plasmodium falciparum from the features (i.e., molecular descriptors values) obtained from PaDEL software from SMILES of compounds and compare the machine learning models by experiments with our collected data of 4794 instances. As a consequence, we found that three models amongst the five, namely artificial neural network (ANN), extreme gradient boost (XGB), and random forest (RF), outperform the others in terms of accuracy while observing that, using roughly a quarter of the promising descriptors picked by the feature selection algorithm, the five models achieved equivalent and comparable performance. Nevertheless, the contribution of all molecular descriptors in the models was investigated through the comparison of their rank values by the feature selection algorithm and found that the most potent and relevant descriptors which come from the ‘Autocorrelation’ module contributed more while the ‘Atom type electrotopological state’ contributed the least to the model.
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13
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Mutation in Plasmodium falciparum BTB/POZ domain of K13 protein confers artemisinin resistance. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2021; 66:e0132021. [PMID: 34606334 PMCID: PMC8765297 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01320-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Partial artemisinin resistance, defined in patients as a delayed parasite clearance following artemisinin-based treatment, is conferred by non-synonymous mutations in the Kelch beta-propeller domain of the Plasmodium falciparum k13 (pfk13) gene. Here, we carried out in vitro selection over a one-year period on a West African P. falciparum strain isolated from Kolle (Mali) under a dose-escalating artemisinin regimen. After 18 cycles of sequential drug pressure, the selected parasites exhibited enhanced survival to dihydroartemisinin in the ring-stage survival assay (RSA0-3h = 9.2%). Sanger and whole-genome sequence analyses identified the PfK13 P413A mutation, localized in the BTB/POZ domain, upstream of the propeller domain. This mutation was sufficient to confer in vitro artemisinin resistance when introduced into the PfK13 coding sequence of the parasite strain Dd2 by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. These results together with structural studies of the protein demonstrate that the propeller domain is not the sole in vitro mediator of PfK13-mediated artemisinin resistance, and highlight the importance of monitoring for mutations throughout PfK13.
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14
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Erhunse N, Sahal D. Protecting future antimalarials from the trap of resistance: Lessons from artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) failures. J Pharm Anal 2021; 11:541-554. [PMID: 34765267 PMCID: PMC8572664 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpha.2020.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Revised: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Having faced increased clinical treatment failures with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PPQ), Cambodia swapped the first line artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) from DHA-PPQ to artesunate-mefloquine given that parasites resistant to piperaquine are susceptible to mefloquine. However, triple mutants have now emerged, suggesting that drug rotations may not be adequate to keep resistance at bay. There is, therefore, an urgent need for alternative treatment strategies to tackle resistance and prevent its spread. A proper understanding of all contributors to artemisinin resistance may help us identify novel strategies to keep artemisinins effective until new drugs become available for their replacement. This review highlights the role of the key players in artemisinin resistance, the current strategies to deal with it and suggests ways of protecting future antimalarial drugs from bowing to resistance as their predecessors did.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nekpen Erhunse
- Malaria Drug Discovery Research Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo-State, Nigeria
| | - Dinkar Sahal
- Malaria Drug Discovery Research Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110067, India
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15
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Woodley CM, Amado PSM, Cristiano MLS, O'Neill PM. Artemisinin inspired synthetic endoperoxide drug candidates: Design, synthesis, and mechanism of action studies. Med Res Rev 2021; 41:3062-3095. [PMID: 34355414 DOI: 10.1002/med.21849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) have been used as the first-line treatments against Plasmodium falciparum malaria for decades. Recent advances in chemical proteomics have shed light on the complex mechanism of action of semi-synthetic artemisinin (ARTs), particularly their promiscuous alkylation of parasite proteins via previous heme-mediated bioactivation of the endoperoxide bond. Alarmingly, the rise of resistance to ART in South East Asia and the synthetic limitations of the ART scaffold have pushed the course for the necessity of fully synthetic endoperoxide-based antimalarials. Several classes of synthetic endoperoxide antimalarials have been described in literature utilizing various endoperoxide warheads including 1,2-dioxanes, 1,2,4-trioxanes, 1,2,4-trioxolanes, and 1,2,4,5-tetraoxanes. Two of these classes, the 1,2,4-trioxolanes (arterolane and artefenomel) and the 1,2,4,5-tetraoxanes (N205 and E209) based antimalarials, have been explored extensively and are still in active development. In contrast, the most recent publication pertaining to the development of the 1,2-dioxane, Arteflene, and 1,2,4-trioxanes fenozan-50F, DU1301, and PA1103/SAR116242 was published in 2008. This review summarizes the synthesis, biological and clinical evaluation, and mechanistic studies of the most developed synthetic endoperoxide antimalarials, providing an update on those classes still in active development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Patrícia S M Amado
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.,Center of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.,Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Maria L S Cristiano
- Center of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.,Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal
| | - Paul M O'Neill
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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16
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Adebayo AH, Ishola TA, Yakubu OF. Acute toxicity and antimalarial studies of extract of Allophylus spicatus in animals. Toxicol Res 2021; 37:345-354. [PMID: 34295798 DOI: 10.1007/s43188-020-00070-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Revised: 08/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Medicinal plants produce a variety of chemical substances with varied physiological effects. They are a huge reservoir of various chemical substances with potential therapeutic properties. Allophylus spicatus is a shrub that belong to the Sapindaceae family. In this study, male albino wistar rats (18) were used for acute toxicity test. Animals were divided into six groups of three rats each. Group A served as the control group while the other groups were dosed orally with 200, 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000 mg/kg body weight of extract and were observed for 14 days. Swiss albino mice (42) were used for the antimalarial study; five groups of six infected mice per group (Groups C-G) were respectively dosed orally with 25 mg chloroquine/kg bw, 200 mg of extract/kg bw, 400 mg/kg bw of extract, 25 mg chl./kg bw + 200 mg/kg bw of extract and 25 mg chl./kg bw + 400 mg/kg bw extract with three groups serving as the control (Groups A-C) for three days. Acute toxicity test and histology analysis on the liver tissue confirmed the safety of the extract at concentrations less than 1000 mg/kg b/w. Antimalarial studies showed the highest activity in the group administered with 400 mg/kg + 25 mg chl./kg b/w. In conclusion, A. spicatus was non-toxic at doses less than 1000 mg/kg and significantly reduced parasitemia count in P. berghei infected mice, thus validating its folkloric usage. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43188-020-00070-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abiodun H Adebayo
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science and Technology, Covenant University, Ogun State, PMB 1023, Canaan Land, Ota, Nigeria
| | - Temitope A Ishola
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science and Technology, Covenant University, Ogun State, PMB 1023, Canaan Land, Ota, Nigeria
| | - Omolara F Yakubu
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science and Technology, Covenant University, Ogun State, PMB 1023, Canaan Land, Ota, Nigeria
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17
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Woodley CM, Nixon GL, Basilico N, Parapini S, Hong WD, Ward SA, Biagini GA, Leung SC, Taramelli D, Onuma K, Hasebe T, O'Neill PM. Enantioselective Synthesis and Profiling of Potent, Nonlinear Analogues of Antimalarial Tetraoxanes E209 and N205. ACS Med Chem Lett 2021; 12:1077-1085. [PMID: 34267877 PMCID: PMC8274084 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.1c00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic endoperoxide antimalarials, such as 1,2,4-trioxolanes and 1,2,4,5-tetraoxanes, are promising successors for current front-line antimalarials, semisynthetic artemisinin derivatives. However, limited solubility of second-generation analogues in biological-relevant media represents a barrier in clinical development. We present methodology for the synthesis of nonlinear analogues of second-generation tetraoxane antimalarials E209 and N205 to investigate reduced molecular symmetry on in vitro antimalarial activity and physicochemical properties. While maintaining good antimalarial activity and metabolic stability, head-to-head comparison of linear and nonlinear counterparts showed up to 10-fold improvement in FaSSIF solubility for three of the four analogues studied. Pharmacokinetic studies in rats comparing a selected nonlinear analogue 14a and its parent N205 showed improvement on oral absorption and exposure in vivo with more than double the AUC and a significant increase in oral bioavailability (76% versus 41%). These findings provide support for further in vivo efficacy studies in preclinical animal species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gemma L Nixon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Nicoletta Basilico
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Chirurgiche e Odontoiatriche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milano, Italy.,Affiliated to Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerche sulla Malaria/Italian Malaria Network (CIRM-IMN), Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Silvia Parapini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milano, Italy.,Affiliated to Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerche sulla Malaria/Italian Malaria Network (CIRM-IMN), Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Weiqian David Hong
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen A Ward
- Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics. Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom
| | - Giancarlo A Biagini
- Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics. Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, United Kingdom
| | - Suet C Leung
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, United Kingdom
| | - Donatella Taramelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milano, Italy.,Affiliated to Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerche sulla Malaria/Italian Malaria Network (CIRM-IMN), Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Keiko Onuma
- Eisai Co.,Ltd. Tsukuba Research Laboratories, 5-1-3 Tokodai, Tsukubashi, Ibaraki 300-2635, Japan
| | - Takashi Hasebe
- Eisai Co.,Ltd. Tsukuba Research Laboratories, 5-1-3 Tokodai, Tsukubashi, Ibaraki 300-2635, Japan
| | - Paul M O'Neill
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, United Kingdom
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18
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Ouji M, Nguyen M, Mustière R, Jimenez T, Augereau JM, Benoit-Vical F, Deraeve C. Novel molecule combinations and corresponding hybrids targeting artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2021; 39:127884. [PMID: 33636304 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2021.127884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Malaria is still considered as the major parasitic disease and the development of artemisinin resistance does not improve this alarming situation. Based on the recent identification of relevant malaria targets in the artemisinin resistance context, novel drug combinations were evaluated against artemisinin-sensitive and artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites. Corresponding hybrid molecules were also synthesized and evaluated for comparison with combinations and individual pharmacophores (e.g. atovaquone, mefloquine or triclosan). Combinations and hybrids showed remarkable antimalarial activity (IC50 = 0.6 to 1.1 nM for the best compounds), strong selectivity, and didn't present any cross-resistance with artemisinin. Moreover, the combination triclosan + atovaquone showed high activity against artemisinin-resistant parasites at the quiescent stage but the corresponding hybrid lost this pharmacological property. This result is essential since only few molecules active against quiescent artemisinin-resistant parasites are reported. Our promising results highlight the potential of these combinations and paves the way for pharmacomodulation work on the best hybrids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manel Ouji
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France; New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, ERL Inserm UMR 1289, Toulouse, France
| | - Michel Nguyen
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France; New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, ERL Inserm UMR 1289, Toulouse, France
| | - Romain Mustière
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Tony Jimenez
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Michel Augereau
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France; New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, ERL Inserm UMR 1289, Toulouse, France
| | - Françoise Benoit-Vical
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France; Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France; New Antimalarial Molecules and Pharmacological Approaches, ERL Inserm UMR 1289, Toulouse, France.
| | - Céline Deraeve
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, France.
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19
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Peters MAE, Greischar MA, Mideo N. Challenges in forming inferences from limited data: a case study of malaria parasite maturation. J R Soc Interface 2021; 18:20210065. [PMID: 33906391 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Inferring biological processes from population dynamics is a common challenge in ecology, particularly when faced with incomplete data. This challenge extends to inferring parasite traits from within-host infection dynamics. We focus on rodent malaria infections (Plasmodium berghei), a system for which previous work inferred an immune-mediated extension in the length of the parasite development cycle within red blood cells. By developing a system of delay-differential equations to describe within-host infection dynamics and simulating data, we demonstrate the potential to obtain biased estimates of parasite (and host) traits when key biological processes are not considered. Despite generating infection dynamics using a fixed parasite developmental cycle length, we find that known sources of measurement bias in parasite stage and abundance data can affect estimates of parasite developmental duration, with stage misclassification driving inferences about extended cycle length. We discuss alternative protocols and statistical methods that can mitigate such misestimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline A E Peters
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Toronto, Toronto Ontario, Canada
| | - Megan A Greischar
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Nicole Mideo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Toronto, Toronto Ontario, Canada
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20
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Owolabi ATY, Reece SE, Schneider P. Daily rhythms of both host and parasite affect antimalarial drug efficacy. Evol Med Public Health 2021; 9:208-219. [PMID: 34285807 PMCID: PMC8284615 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoab013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Circadian rhythms contribute to treatment efficacy in several non-communicable diseases. However, chronotherapy (administering drugs at a particular time-of-day) against infectious diseases has been overlooked. Yet, the daily rhythms of both hosts and disease-causing agents can impact the efficacy of drug treatment. We use the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium chabaudi, to test whether the daily rhythms of hosts, parasites and their interactions affect sensitivity to the key antimalarial, artemisinin. METHODOLOGY Asexual malaria parasites develop rhythmically in the host's blood, in a manner timed to coordinate with host daily rhythms. Our experiments coupled or decoupled the timing of parasite and host rhythms, and we administered artemisinin at different times of day to coincide with when parasites were either at an early (ring) or later (trophozoite) developmental stage. We quantified the impacts of parasite developmental stage, and alignment of parasite and host rhythms, on drug sensitivity. RESULTS We find that rings were less sensitive to artemisinin than trophozoites, and this difference was exacerbated when parasite and host rhythms were misaligned, with little direct contribution of host time-of-day on its own. Furthermore, the blood concentration of haem at the point of treatment correlated positively with artemisinin efficacy but only when parasite and host rhythms were aligned. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Parasite rhythms influence drug sensitivity in vivo. The hitherto unknown modulation by alignment between parasite and host daily rhythms suggests that disrupting the timing of parasite development could be a novel chronotherapeutic approach. LAY SUMMARY We reveal that chronotherapy (providing medicines at a particular time-of-day) could improve treatment for malaria infections. Specifically, parasites' developmental stage at the time of treatment and the coordination of timing between parasite and host both affect how well antimalarial drug treatment works.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alíz T Y Owolabi
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology & Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK,Corresponding author. Institute of Evolutionary Biology & Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FL, UK. Tel (office): +441316508642; E-mail:
| | - Sarah E Reece
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology & Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Petra Schneider
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology & Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
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21
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Arya A, Kojom Foko LP, Chaudhry S, Sharma A, Singh V. Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and drug resistance molecular markers: A systematic review of clinical studies from two malaria endemic regions - India and sub-Saharan Africa. Int J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist 2021; 15:43-56. [PMID: 33556786 PMCID: PMC7887327 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpddr.2020.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) are currently used as a first-line malaria therapy in endemic countries worldwide. This systematic review aims at presenting the current scenario of drug resistance molecular markers, either selected or involved in treatment failures (TF) during in vivo ACT efficacy studies from sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) and India. Eight electronic databases were comprehensively used to search relevant articles and finally a total of 28 studies were included in the review, 21 from sSA and seven from India. On analysis, Artemether + lumefantrine (AL) and artesunate + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (AS + SP) are the main ACT in African and Indian regions with a 28-day efficacy range of 54.3-100% for AL and 63-100% for AS + SP respectively. It was observed that mutations in the Pfcrt (76T), Pfdhfr (51I, 59R, 108N), Pfdhps (437G) and Pfmdr1 (86Y, 184F, 1246Y) genes were involved in TF, which varied with respect to ACTs. Based on studies that have genotyped the Pfk13 gene, the reported TF cases, were mainly linked with mutations in genes associated with resistance to ACT partner drugs; indicating that the protection of the partner drug efficacy is crucial for maintaining the efficacy of ACT. This review reveals that ACT are largely efficacious in India and sSA despite the fact that some clinical efficacy and epidemiological studies have reported some validated mutations (i.e., 476I, 539T and 561H) in circulation in these two regions. Also, the role of PfATPase6 in ART resistance is controversial still, while P. falciparum plasmepsin 2 (Pfpm2) in piperaquine (PPQ) resistance and dihydroartemisinin (DHA) + PPQ failures is well documented in Southeast Asian countries but studied less in sSA. Hence, there is a need for continuous molecular surveillance of Pfk13 mutations for emergence of artemisinin (ART) resistance in these countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Arya
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Shewta Chaudhry
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Amit Sharma
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Vineeta Singh
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India.
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22
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Reyser T, Paloque L, Ouji M, Nguyen M, Ménard S, Witkowski B, Augereau JM, Benoit-Vical F. Identification of compounds active against quiescent artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites via the quiescent-stage survival assay (QSA). J Antimicrob Chemother 2020; 75:2826-2834. [PMID: 32653910 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkaa250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Quiescence is an unconventional mechanism of Plasmodium survival, mediating artemisinin resistance. This phenomenon increases the risk of clinical failures following artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) by slowing parasite clearance and allowing the selection of parasites resistant to partner drugs. OBJECTIVES To thwart this multiresistance, the quiescent state of artemisinin-resistant parasites must be taken into consideration from the very early stages of the drug discovery process. METHODS We designed a novel phenotypic assay we have named the quiescent-stage survival assay (QSA) to assess the antiplasmodial activity of drugs on quiescent parasites. This assay was first validated on quiescent forms from different artemisinin-resistant parasite lines (laboratory strain and field isolates), using two reference drugs with different mechanisms of action: chloroquine and atovaquone. Furthermore, the efficacies of different partner drugs of artemisinins used in ACTs were investigated against both laboratory strains and field isolates from Cambodia. RESULTS Our results highlight that because of the mechanism of quiescence and the respective pharmacological targets of drugs, drug efficacies on artemisinin-resistant parasites may be different between quiescent parasites and their proliferating forms. CONCLUSIONS These data confirm the high relevance of adding the chemosensitivity evaluation of quiescent parasites by the specific in vitro QSA to the antiplasmodial drug development process in the current worrisome context of artemisinin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thibaud Reyser
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Lucie Paloque
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Manel Ouji
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Michel Nguyen
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Sandie Ménard
- UMR152 UPS-IRD, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Benoit Witkowski
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Pasteur Institute in Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Jean-Michel Augereau
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Françoise Benoit-Vical
- LCC-CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France.,INSERM, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Scientifique, France
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23
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Lu KY, Pasaje CFA, Srivastava T, Loiselle DR, Niles JC, Derbyshire E. Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate and Hsp70 protect Plasmodium falciparum from heat-induced cell death. eLife 2020; 9:e56773. [PMID: 32975513 PMCID: PMC7518890 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI(3)P) levels in Plasmodium falciparum correlate with tolerance to cellular stresses caused by artemisinin and environmental factors. However, PI(3)P function during the Plasmodium stress response was unknown. Here, we used PI3K inhibitors and antimalarial agents to examine the importance of PI(3)P under thermal conditions recapitulating malarial fever. Live cell microscopy using chemical and genetic reporters revealed that PI(3)P stabilizes the digestive vacuole (DV) under heat stress. We demonstrate that heat-induced DV destabilization in PI(3)P-deficient P. falciparum precedes cell death and is reversible after withdrawal of the stress condition and the PI3K inhibitor. A chemoproteomic approach identified PfHsp70-1 as a PI(3)P-binding protein. An Hsp70 inhibitor and knockdown of PfHsp70-1 phenocopy PI(3)P-deficient parasites under heat shock. Furthermore, PfHsp70-1 downregulation hypersensitizes parasites to heat shock and PI3K inhibitors. Our findings underscore a mechanistic link between PI(3)P and PfHsp70-1 and present a novel PI(3)P function in DV stabilization during heat stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan-Yi Lu
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Chemistry, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | | | | | - David R Loiselle
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Jacquin C Niles
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Emily Derbyshire
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Chemistry, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
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24
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Hybrid Gold(I) NHC-Artemether Complexes to Target Falciparum Malaria Parasites. Molecules 2020; 25:molecules25122817. [PMID: 32570872 PMCID: PMC7356589 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25122817] [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] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of Plasmodium falciparum parasites, responsible for malaria disease, resistant to antiplasmodial drugs including the artemisinins, represents a major threat to public health. Therefore, the development of new antimalarial drugs or combinations is urgently required. In this context, several hybrid molecules combining a dihydroartemisinin derivative and gold(I) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes have been synthesized based on the different modes of action of the two compounds. The antiplasmodial activity of these molecules was assessed in vitro as well as their cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. All the hybrid molecules tested showed efficacy against P. falciparum, in a nanomolar range for the most active, associated with a low cytotoxicity. However, cross-resistance between artemisinin and these hybrid molecules was evidenced. These results underline a fear about the risk of cross-resistance between artemisinins and new antimalarial drugs based on an endoperoxide part. This study thus raises concerns about the use of such molecules in future therapeutic malaria policies.
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25
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Giannangelo C, Siddiqui G, De Paoli A, Anderson BM, Edgington-Mitchell LE, Charman SA, Creek DJ. System-wide biochemical analysis reveals ozonide antimalarials initially act by disrupting Plasmodium falciparum haemoglobin digestion. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008485. [PMID: 32589689 PMCID: PMC7347234 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Ozonide antimalarials, OZ277 (arterolane) and OZ439 (artefenomel), are synthetic peroxide-based antimalarials with potent activity against the deadliest malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Here we used a "multi-omics" workflow, in combination with activity-based protein profiling (ABPP), to demonstrate that peroxide antimalarials initially target the haemoglobin (Hb) digestion pathway to kill malaria parasites. Time-dependent metabolomic profiling of ozonide-treated P. falciparum infected red blood cells revealed a rapid depletion of short Hb-derived peptides followed by subsequent alterations in lipid and nucleotide metabolism, while untargeted peptidomics showed accumulation of longer Hb-derived peptides. Quantitative proteomics and ABPP assays demonstrated that Hb-digesting proteases were increased in abundance and activity following treatment, respectively. Ozonide-induced depletion of short Hb-derived peptides was less extensive in a drug-treated K13-mutant artemisinin resistant parasite line (Cam3.IIR539T) than in the drug-treated isogenic sensitive strain (Cam3.IIrev), further confirming the association between ozonide activity and Hb catabolism. To demonstrate that compromised Hb catabolism may be a primary mechanism involved in ozonide antimalarial activity, we showed that parasites forced to rely solely on Hb digestion for amino acids became hypersensitive to short ozonide exposures. Quantitative proteomics analysis also revealed parasite proteins involved in translation and the ubiquitin-proteasome system were enriched following drug treatment, suggestive of the parasite engaging a stress response to mitigate ozonide-induced damage. Taken together, these data point to a mechanism of action involving initial impairment of Hb catabolism, and indicate that the parasite regulates protein turnover to manage ozonide-induced damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Giannangelo
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ghizal Siddiqui
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Amanda De Paoli
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bethany M. Anderson
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Laura E. Edgington-Mitchell
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Susan A. Charman
- Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Darren J. Creek
- Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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26
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Wilkinson MD, Lai HE, Freemont PS, Baum J. A Biosynthetic Platform for Antimalarial Drug Discovery. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2020; 64:e02129-19. [PMID: 32152076 PMCID: PMC7179595 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02129-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in synthetic biology have enabled the production of a variety of compounds using bacteria as a vehicle for complex compound biosynthesis. Violacein, a naturally occurring indole pigment with antibiotic properties, can be biosynthetically engineered in Escherichia coli expressing its nonnative synthesis pathway. To explore whether this synthetic biosynthesis platform could be used for drug discovery, here we have screened bacterially derived violacein against the main causative agent of human malaria, Plasmodium falciparum We show the antiparasitic activity of bacterially derived violacein against the P. falciparum 3D7 laboratory reference strain as well as drug-sensitive and -resistant patient isolates, confirming the potential utility of this drug as an antimalarial agent. We then screen a biosynthetic series of violacein derivatives against P. falciparum growth. The varied activity of each derivative against asexual parasite growth points to the need to further develop violacein as an antimalarial. Towards defining its mode of action, we show that biosynthetic violacein affects the parasite actin cytoskeleton, resulting in an accumulation of actin signal that is independent of actin polymerization. This activity points to a target that modulates actin behavior in the cell either in terms of its regulation or its folding. More broadly, our data show that bacterial synthetic biosynthesis could become a suitable platform for antimalarial drug discovery, with potential applications in future high-throughput drug screening with otherwise chemically intractable natural products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D Wilkinson
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Hung-En Lai
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul S Freemont
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology Centre, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Jake Baum
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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27
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Hassett MR, Roepe PD. Origin and Spread of Evolving Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Malarial Parasites in Southeast Asia. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2020; 101:1204-1211. [PMID: 31642425 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we provide an epidemiological history of the emergence and ongoing spread of evolving Plasmodium falciparum artemisinin resistance (ARTR). Southeast Asia has been the focal point for emergence and spread of multiple antimalarial drug resistance phenomena, and is once again for evolving ARTR, also known as the "delayed clearance phenotype" (DCP). The five countries most impacted, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam, each have complex histories of antimalarial drug use over many decades, which have in part molded the use of various artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) within each country. We catalog the use of ACTs, evolving loss of ACT efficacy, and the frequency of pfk13 mutations (mutations associated with ARTR) in the Greater Mekong Subregion and map the historical spread of ARTR/DCP parasites. These data should assist improved surveillance and deployment of next-generation ACTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Hassett
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia.,Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | - Paul D Roepe
- Department of Chemistry, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia.,Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
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28
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Plasmodium chaperonin TRiC/CCT identified as a target of the antihistamine clemastine using parallel chemoproteomic strategy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:5810-5817. [PMID: 32127489 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1913525117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The antihistamine clemastine inhibits multiple stages of the Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria, but the molecular targets responsible for its parasite inhibition were unknown. Here, we applied parallel chemoproteomic platforms to discover the mechanism of action of clemastine and identify that clemastine binds to the Plasmodium falciparum TCP-1 ring complex or chaperonin containing TCP-1 (TRiC/CCT), an essential heterooligomeric complex required for de novo cytoskeletal protein folding. Clemastine destabilized all eight P. falciparum TRiC subunits based on thermal proteome profiling (TPP). Further analysis using stability of proteins from rates of oxidation (SPROX) revealed a clemastine-induced thermodynamic stabilization of the Plasmodium TRiC delta subunit, suggesting an interaction with this protein subunit. We demonstrate that clemastine reduces levels of the major TRiC substrate tubulin in P. falciparum parasites. In addition, clemastine treatment leads to disorientation of Plasmodium mitotic spindles during the asexual reproduction and results in aberrant tubulin morphology suggesting protein aggregation. This clemastine-induced disruption of TRiC function is not observed in human host cells, demonstrating a species selectivity required for targeting an intracellular human pathogen. Our findings encourage larger efforts to apply chemoproteomic methods to assist in target identification of antimalarial drugs and highlight the potential to selectively target Plasmodium TRiC-mediated protein folding for malaria intervention.
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29
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Abstract
There is a pressing need for compounds with broad-spectrum activity against malaria parasites at various life cycle stages to achieve malaria elimination. However, this goal cannot be accomplished without targeting the tenacious dormant liver-stage hypnozoite that causes multiple relapses after the first episode of illness. In the search for the magic bullet to radically cure Plasmodium vivax malaria, tafenoquine outperformed other candidate drugs and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2018. Tafenoquine is an 8-aminoquinoline that inhibits multiple life stages of various Plasmodium species. Additionally, its much longer half-life allows for single-dose treatment, which will improve the compliance rate. Despite its approval and the long-time use of other 8-aminoquinolines, the mechanisms behind tafenoquine's activity and adverse effects are still largely unknown. In this Perspective, we discuss the plausible underlying mechanisms of tafenoquine's antiparasitic activity and highlight its role as a cellular stressor. We also discuss potential drug combinations and the development of next-generation 8-aminoquinolines to further improve the therapeutic index of tafenoquine for malaria treatment and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan-Yi Lu
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Emily R Derbyshire
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
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30
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Wong HN, Padín-Irizarry V, van der Watt ME, Reader J, Liebenberg W, Wiesner L, Smith P, Eribez K, Winzeler EA, Kyle DE, Birkholtz LM, Coertzen D, Haynes RK. Optimal 10-Aminoartemisinins With Potent Transmission-Blocking Capabilities for New Artemisinin Combination Therapies-Activities Against Blood Stage P. falciparum Including PfKI3 C580Y Mutants and Liver Stage P. berghei Parasites. Front Chem 2020; 7:901. [PMID: 31998692 PMCID: PMC6967409 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
We have demonstrated previously that amino-artemisinins including artemiside and artemisone in which an amino group replaces the oxygen-bearing substituents attached to C-10 of the current clinical artemisinin derivatives dihydroartemisinin (DHA), artemether and artesunate, display potent activities in vitro against the asexual blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf). In particular, the compounds are active against late blood stage Pf gametocytes, and are strongly synergistic in combination with the redox active drug methylene blue. In order to fortify the eventual selection of optimum amino-artemisinins for development into new triple combination therapies also active against artemisinin-resistant Pf mutants, we have prepared new amino-artemisinins based on the easily accessible and inexpensive DHA-piperazine. The latter was converted into alkyl- and aryl sulfonamides, ureas and amides. These derivatives were screened together with the comparator drugs DHA and the hitherto most active amino-artemisinins artemiside and artemisone against asexual and sexual blood stages of Pf and liver stage P. berghei (Pb) sporozoites. Several of the new amino-artemisinins bearing aryl-urea and -amide groups are potently active against both asexual, and late blood stage gametocytes (IC50 0.4-1.0 nM). Although the activities are superior to those of artemiside (IC50 1.5 nM) and artemisone (IC50 42.4 nM), the latter are more active against the liver stage Pb sporozoites (IC50 artemisone 28 nM). In addition, early results indicate these compounds tend not to display reduced susceptibility against parasites bearing the Pf Kelch 13 propeller domain C580Y mutation characteristic of artemisinin-resistant Pf. Thus, the advent of the amino-artemisinins including artemiside and artemisone will enable the development of new combination therapies that by virtue of the amino-artemisinin component itself will possess intrinsic transmission-blocking capabilities and may be effective against artemisinin resistant falciparum malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Ning Wong
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Vivian Padín-Irizarry
- Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases, Coverdell Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Mariëtte E van der Watt
- Malaria Parasite Molecular Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Janette Reader
- Malaria Parasite Molecular Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Wilna Liebenberg
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Lubbe Wiesner
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Peter Smith
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Korina Eribez
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Dennis E Kyle
- Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases, Coverdell Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Lyn-Marie Birkholtz
- Malaria Parasite Molecular Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Dina Coertzen
- Malaria Parasite Molecular Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Richard K Haynes
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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31
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Kumar R, Sharma R, Kumar I, Upadhyay P, Dhiman AK, Kumar R, Kumar R, Purohit R, Sahal D, Sharma U. Evaluation of Antiplasmodial Potential of C2 and C8 Modified Quinolines: in vitro and in silico Study. Med Chem 2019; 15:790-800. [PMID: 30324888 DOI: 10.2174/1573406414666181015144413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 09/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malaria remains a common life-threatening infectious disease across the globe due to the development of resistance by Plasmodium parasite against most antimalarial drugs. The situation demands new and effective drug candidates against Plasmodium. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study is to design, synthesize and test novel quinoline based molecules against the malaria parasite. METHODS C2 and C8 modified quinoline analogs obtained via C-H bond functionalization approach were synthesized and evaluated for inhibition of growth of P. falciparum grown in human red blood cells using SYBR Green microtiter plate based screening. Computational molecular docking studies were carried out with top fourteen molecules using Autodoc software. RESULTS The biological evaluation results revealed good activity of quinoline-8-acrylate 3f (IC50 14.2 µM), and the 2-quinoline-α-hydroxypropionates 4b (IC50 6.5 µM), 4j (IC50 5.5 µM) and 4g (IC50 9.5 µM), against chloroquine sensitive Pf3D7 strain. Top fourteen molecules were screened also against chloroquine resistant Pf INDO strain and the observed resistant indices were found to lie between 1 and 7.58. Computational molecular docking studies indicated a unique mode of binding of these quinolines to Falcipain-2 and heme moiety, indicating these to be the probable targets of their antiplasmodial action. CONCLUSION An important finding of our work is the fact that unlike Chloroquine which shows a resistance Index of 15, the resistance indices for the most promising molecules studied by us were about one indicating equal potency against drug sensitive and resistant strains of the malaria parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakesh Kumar
- Natural Product Chemistry and Process Development Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176 061, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh-176 061, India
| | - Ritika Sharma
- Natural Product Chemistry and Process Development Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176 061, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh-176 061, India
| | - Inder Kumar
- Natural Product Chemistry and Process Development Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176 061, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh-176 061, India
| | - Pooja Upadhyay
- Malaria Drug Discovery Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Ankit Kumar Dhiman
- Natural Product Chemistry and Process Development Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176 061, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh-176 061, India
| | - Rohit Kumar
- Natural Product Chemistry and Process Development Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176 061, India
| | - Rakesh Kumar
- Natural Product Chemistry and Process Development Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176 061, India.,Centre for Nano and Material Sciences, Jain University, Jain Global, India
| | - Rituraj Purohit
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh-176 061, India.,Biotechnology Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176 061, India
| | - Dinkar Sahal
- Malaria Drug Discovery Laboratory, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, 110067, India
| | - Upendra Sharma
- Natural Product Chemistry and Process Development Division, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh 176 061, India.,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh-176 061, India
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32
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Artemisinin Bioactivity and Resistance in Malaria Parasites. Trends Parasitol 2019; 35:953-963. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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33
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Gruessner BM, Cornet-Vernet L, Desrosiers MR, Lutgen P, Towler MJ, Weathers PJ. It is not just artemisinin: Artemisia sp. for treating diseases including malaria and schistosomiasis. PHYTOCHEMISTRY REVIEWS : PROCEEDINGS OF THE PHYTOCHEMICAL SOCIETY OF EUROPE 2019; 18:1509-1527. [PMID: 33911989 PMCID: PMC8078015 DOI: 10.1007/s11101-019-09645-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Artemisia sp., especially A. annua and A. afra, have been used for centuries to treat many ailments. While artemisinin is the main therapeutically active component, emerging evidence demonstrates that the other phytochemicals in this genus are also therapeutically active. Those compounds include flavonoids, other terpenes, coumarins, and phenolic acids. Artemisia sp. phytochemicals also improve bioavailability of artemisinin and synergistically improve artemisinin therapeutic efficacy, especially when delivered as dried leaf Artemisia as a tea infusion or as powdered dry leaves in a capsule or compressed into a tablet. Here results from in vitro, and in vivo animal and human studies are summarized and critically discussed for mainly malaria, but also other diseases susceptible to artemisinin and Artemisia sp. including schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, and trypanosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- B M Gruessner
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609, USA
| | | | - M R Desrosiers
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609, USA
| | - P Lutgen
- IFVB-BELHERB, Niederanven, Luxembourg
| | - M J Towler
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609, USA
| | - P J Weathers
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609, USA
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34
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Barrett MP, Kyle DE, Sibley LD, Radke JB, Tarleton RL. Protozoan persister-like cells and drug treatment failure. Nat Rev Microbiol 2019; 17:607-620. [PMID: 31444481 PMCID: PMC7024564 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-019-0238-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial treatment failure threatens our ability to control infections. In addition to antimicrobial resistance, treatment failures are increasingly understood to derive from cells that survive drug treatment without selection of genetically heritable mutations. Parasitic protozoa, such as Plasmodium species that cause malaria, Toxoplasma gondii and kinetoplastid protozoa, including Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp., cause millions of deaths globally. These organisms can evolve drug resistance and they also exhibit phenotypic diversity, including the formation of quiescent or dormant forms that contribute to the establishment of long-term infections that are refractory to drug treatment, which we refer to as 'persister-like cells'. In this Review, we discuss protozoan persister-like cells that have been linked to persistent infections and discuss their impact on therapeutic outcomes following drug treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P Barrett
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
| | - Dennis E Kyle
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - L David Sibley
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Joshua B Radke
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Rick L Tarleton
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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Madhukar G, Malik MZ, Subbarao N. Development and rigorous validation of antimalarial predictive models using machine learning approaches. SAR AND QSAR IN ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 30:543-560. [PMID: 31328578 DOI: 10.1080/1062936x.2019.1635526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The large collection of known and experimentally verified compounds from the ChEMBL database was used to build different classification models for predicting the antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum. Four different machine learning methods, namely the support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), k-nearest neighbour (kNN) and XGBoost have been used for the development of models using the diverse antimalarial dataset from ChEMBL. A well-established feature selection framework was used to select the best subset from a larger pool of descriptors. Performance of the models was rigorously evaluated by evaluation of the applicability domain, Y-scrambling and AUC-ROC curve. Additionally, the predictive power of the models was also assessed using probability calibration and predictiveness curves. SVM and XGBoost showed the best performances, yielding an accuracy of ~85% on the independent test set. In term of probability prediction, SVM and XGBoost were well calibrated. Total gain (TG) from the predictiveness curve was more related to SVM (TG = 0.67) and XGBoost (TG = 0.75). These models also predict the high-affinity compounds from PubChem antimalarial bioassay (as external validation) with a high probability score. Our findings suggest that the selected models are robust and can be potentially useful for facilitating the discovery of antimalarial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Madhukar
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University , New Delhi , India
| | - M Z Malik
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University , New Delhi , India
| | - N Subbarao
- School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University , New Delhi , India
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36
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Verma A, Ghosh S, Salotra P, Singh R. Artemisinin-resistant Leishmania parasite modulates host cell defense mechanism and exhibits altered expression of unfolded protein response genes. Parasitol Res 2019; 118:2705-2713. [PMID: 31359134 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06404-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Artemisinin, extracted from a medicinal herb Artemisia annua, is widely used to treat malaria and has shown potent anticancer activity. Artemisinin has been found to be effective against experimental visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis. Despite extensive research to understand the complex mechanism of resistance to artemisinin, several questions remain unanswered. The artesunate (ART)-resistant line of Leishmania donovani was selected and cellular mechanisms associated with resistance to artemisinin were investigated. ART-resistant (AS-R) parasites showed reduced susceptibility towards ART both at promastigote and amastigote stage compared with ART sensitive (WT) parasites. WT and AS-R parasites were both more susceptible to ART at the early log phase of growth compared with late log phase. AS-R parasites were more infective to the host macrophages (p < 0.05). Evaluation of parasites' tolerance towards host microbicidal mechanisms revealed that AS-R parasites were more tolerant to complement-mediated lysis and nitrosative stress. ROS levels were modulated in presence of ART in AS-R parasites infected macrophages. Interestingly, infection of macrophages by AS-R parasites led to modulated levels of host interleukins, IL-2 and IL-10, in addition to nitric oxide. Additionally, AS-R parasites showed upregulated expression of genes of unfolded protein response pathway including methyltransferase domain-containing protein (HSP40) and flagellar attachment zone protein (prefoldin), that are reported to be associated with ART resistance in Plasmodium falciparum malaria. This study presents in vitro model of artemisinin-resistant Leishmania parasite and cellular mechanisms associated with ART resistance in Leishmania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Verma
- ICMR-National Institute of Pathology, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Sushmita Ghosh
- ICMR-National Institute of Pathology, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Poonam Salotra
- ICMR-National Institute of Pathology, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Ruchi Singh
- ICMR-National Institute of Pathology, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi, 110029, India.
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37
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Coppée R, Jeffares DC, Miteva MA, Sabbagh A, Clain J. Comparative structural and evolutionary analyses predict functional sites in the artemisinin resistance malaria protein K13. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10675. [PMID: 31337835 PMCID: PMC6650413 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47034-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum Kelch13 (K13) protein confer resistance to artemisinin derivatives, the current front-line antimalarial drugs. K13 is an essential protein that contains BTB and Kelch-repeat propeller (KREP) domains usually found in E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes that target substrate protein(s) for ubiquitin-dependent degradation. K13 is thought to bind substrate proteins, but its functional/interaction sites and the structural alterations associated with artemisinin resistance mutations remain unknown. Here, we screened for the most evolutionarily conserved sites in the protein structure of K13 as indicators of structural and/or functional constraints. We inferred structure-dependent substitution rates at each amino acid site of the highly conserved K13 protein during the evolution of Apicomplexa parasites. We found two solvent-exposed patches of extraordinarily conserved sites likely involved in protein-protein interactions, one in BTB and the other one in KREP. The conserved patch in K13 KREP overlaps with a shallow pocket that displays a differential electrostatic surface potential, relative to neighboring sites, and that is rich in serine and arginine residues. Comparative structural and evolutionary analyses revealed that these properties were also found in the functionally-validated shallow pocket of other KREPs including that of the cancer-related KEAP1 protein. Finally, molecular dynamics simulations carried out on PfK13 R539T and C580Y artemisinin resistance mutant structures revealed some local structural destabilization of KREP but not in its shallow pocket. These findings open new avenues of research on one of the most enigmatic malaria proteins with the utmost clinical importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Coppée
- Université de Paris, UMR 261 MERIT, IRD, F-75006 Paris, France
| | - Daniel C Jeffares
- Department of Biology and York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Maria A Miteva
- Université de Paris, Inserm U1268 MCTR, CiTCom UMR 8038 CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Audrey Sabbagh
- Université de Paris, UMR 261 MERIT, IRD, F-75006 Paris, France.
| | - Jérôme Clain
- Université de Paris, UMR 261 MERIT, IRD, F-75006 Paris, France. .,Centre National de Référence du Paludisme, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris, F-75018 Paris, France.
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38
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Ozonide Antimalarial Activity in the Context of Artemisinin-Resistant Malaria. Trends Parasitol 2019; 35:529-543. [PMID: 31176584 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The ozonides are one of the most advanced drug classes in the antimalarial development pipeline and were designed to improve on limitations associated with current front-line artemisinin-based therapies. Like the artemisinins, the pharmacophoric peroxide bond of ozonides is essential for activity, and it appears that these antimalarials share a similar mode of action, raising the possibility of cross-resistance. Resistance to artemisinins is associated with Plasmodium falciparum mutations that allow resistant parasites to escape short-term artemisinin-mediated damage (elimination half-life ~1 h). Importantly, some ozonides (e.g., OZ439) have a sustained in vivo drug exposure profile, providing a major pharmacokinetic advantage over the artemisinin derivatives. Here, we describe recent progress made towards understanding ozonide antimalarial activity and discuss ozonide utility within the context of artemisinin resistance.
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Paloque L, Witkowski B, Lelièvre J, Ouji M, Ben Haddou T, Ariey F, Robert A, Augereau JM, Ménard D, Meunier B, Benoit-Vical F. Endoperoxide-based compounds: cross-resistance with artemisinins and selection of a Plasmodium falciparum lineage with a K13 non-synonymous polymorphism. J Antimicrob Chemother 2019; 73:395-403. [PMID: 29177421 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkx412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Owing to the emergence of multiresistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites in Southeast Asia, along with the impressive decrease in the efficacy of the endoperoxide compound artemisinin and of artemisinin-based combination therapies, the development of novel antimalarial drugs or combinations is required. Although several antiplasmodial molecules, such as endoperoxide-based compounds, are in advanced research or development, we do not know whether resistance to artemisinin derivatives might impact the efficacy of these new compounds. Objectives To address this issue, the antiplasmodial efficacy of trioxaquines, hybrid endoperoxide-based molecules, was explored, along with their ability to select in vitro resistant parasites under discontinuous and dose-escalating drug pressure. Methods The in vitro susceptibilities of artemisinin- and trioxaquine-resistant laboratory strains and recent Cambodian field isolates were evaluated by different phenotypic and genotypic assays. Results Trioxaquines tested presented strong cross-resistance with artemisinin both in the artemisinin-resistant laboratory F32-ART5 line and in Cambodian field isolates. Trioxaquine drug pressure over 4 years led to the in vitro selection of the F32-DU line, which is resistant to trioxaquine and artemisinin, similar to the F32-ART lineage. F32-DU whole genome sequencing (WGS) revealed that resistance to trioxaquine was associated with the same non-synonymous mutation in the propeller domain of the K13 protein (M476I) that was found in the F32-ART lineage. Conclusions These worrisome results indicate the risk of cross-resistance between artemisinins and endoperoxide-based antiplasmodial drugs in the development of the K13 mutant parasites and question the usefulness of these molecules in the future therapeutic arsenal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Paloque
- CNRS; LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination), 205 route de Narbonne, F-31077 Toulouse, France.,Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC, F-31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Benoit Witkowski
- CNRS; LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination), 205 route de Narbonne, F-31077 Toulouse, France.,Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC, F-31077 Toulouse, France.,Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Joël Lelièvre
- CNRS; LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination), 205 route de Narbonne, F-31077 Toulouse, France.,Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC, F-31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Manel Ouji
- CNRS; LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination), 205 route de Narbonne, F-31077 Toulouse, France.,Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC, F-31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Tanila Ben Haddou
- CNRS; LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination), 205 route de Narbonne, F-31077 Toulouse, France.,Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC, F-31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Frédéric Ariey
- INSERM 1016, Institut Cochin, Université Paris Descartes et Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie Hôpital Cochin, Paris
| | - Anne Robert
- CNRS; LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination), 205 route de Narbonne, F-31077 Toulouse, France.,Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC, F-31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Michel Augereau
- CNRS; LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination), 205 route de Narbonne, F-31077 Toulouse, France.,Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC, F-31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Didier Ménard
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Bernard Meunier
- CNRS; LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination), 205 route de Narbonne, F-31077 Toulouse, France.,Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC, F-31077 Toulouse, France
| | - Françoise Benoit-Vical
- CNRS; LCC (Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination), 205 route de Narbonne, F-31077 Toulouse, France.,Université de Toulouse; UPS, INPT; LCC, F-31077 Toulouse, France
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40
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Rout S, Mahapatra RK. Plasmodium falciparum: Multidrug resistance. Chem Biol Drug Des 2019; 93:737-759. [DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 01/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Subhashree Rout
- School of BiotechnologyKIIT University Bhubaneswar Odisha India
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41
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Ikeda M, Kaneko M, Tachibana SI, Balikagala B, Sakurai-Yatsushiro M, Yatsushiro S, Takahashi N, Yamauchi M, Sekihara M, Hashimoto M, Katuro OT, Olia A, Obwoya PS, Auma MA, Anywar DA, Odongo-Aginya EI, Okello-Onen J, Hirai M, Ohashi J, Palacpac NMQ, Kataoka M, Tsuboi T, Kimura E, Horii T, Mita T. Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum with High Survival Rates, Uganda, 2014-2016. Emerg Infect Dis 2019; 24:718-726. [PMID: 29553316 PMCID: PMC5875287 DOI: 10.3201/eid2404.170141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Because ≈90% of malaria cases occur in Africa, emergence of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in Africa poses a serious public health threat. To assess emergence of artemisinin-resistant parasites in Uganda during 2014–2016, we used the recently developed ex vivo ring-stage survival assay, which estimates ring-stage–specific P. falciparum susceptibility to artemisinin. We conducted 4 cross-sectional surveys to assess artemisinin sensitivity in Gulu, Uganda. Among 194 isolates, survival rates (ratio of viable drug-exposed parasites to drug-nonexposed controls) were high (>10%) for 4 isolates. Similar rates have been closely associated with delayed parasite clearance after drug treatment and are considered to be a proxy for the artemisinin-resistant phenotype. Of these, the PfKelch13 mutation was observed in only 1 isolate, A675V. Population genetics analysis suggested that these possibly artemisinin-resistant isolates originated in Africa. Large-scale surveillance of possibly artemisinin-resistant parasites in Africa would provide useful information about treatment outcomes and help regional malaria control.
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Viability Screen of LOPAC 1280 Reveals Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Tyrphostin A9 as a Novel Partner Drug for Artesunate Combinations To Target the Plasmodium falciparum Ring Stage. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2019; 63:AAC.02389-18. [PMID: 30718250 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02389-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum poses a major threat to current frontline artemisinin combination therapies. Artemisinin resistance is widely associated with mutations in the P. falciparum Kelch13 (PfKelch13) propeller region, leading to delayed parasite clearance and increased survival of early-ring-stage parasites. There is therefore a need to discover novel drugs that are effective against artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum In view of this, our study aimed to identify compounds from the Library of Pharmacologically Active Compounds1280 (LOPAC1280) that could increase the efficacy of artesunate and be used as a potential partner drug for treatment against artemisinin-resistant falciparum malaria. By using a modified ring-stage survival assay, we performed a high-throughput screening of the activities of the 1,280 compounds from the LOPAC library in combination with artesunate against the P. falciparum IPC 5202 field isolate harboring the R539T mutation in the PfKelch13 propeller region. The potencies of the hits against both the IPC 5202 and CamWT_C580Y field isolates were determined through dose-dependent isobologram analyses; CamWT_C580Y has the more prevalent C580Y mutation characteristic of strains with artemisinin resistance. We identified tyrphostin A9 to have synergistic and additive activity against both parasite strains when dosed in combination with artesunate. These findings provide promising novel artesunate combinations that can target the P. falciparum artemisinin-resistant ring stage and insights that may aid in obtaining a better understanding of the mechanism involved in artemisinin resistance.
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43
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Akinola O, Ogbeche EO, Olumoh-Abdul HA, Alli-Oluwafuyi AO, Oyewole AL, Amin A, AbdulMajeed WI, Olajide OJ, Nafiu AB, Njan AA, Olorundare OE, Gbotosho GO. Oral Ingestion of Cannabis sativa: Risks, Benefits, and Effects on Malaria-Infected Hosts. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res 2018; 3:219-227. [PMID: 30498786 PMCID: PMC6260522 DOI: 10.1089/can.2018.0043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The emergence of a multidrug-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf Pailin) raises concern about malaria control strategies. Unfortunately, the role(s) of natural plants/remedies in curtailing malaria catastrophe remains uncertain. The claims of potential antimalarial activity of Cannabis sativa in vivo have not been well established nor the consequences defined. This study was, therefore, designed to evaluate the effects of whole cannabis consumption on malaria-infected host. Methods: Thirty mice were inoculated with dose of 1×107 chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium berghei ANKA-infected erythrocyte and divided into six treatment groups. Cannabis diet formulations were prepared based on weighted percentages of dried cannabis and standard mice diet and the study animals were fed ad libitum. Chemosuppression of parasitemia, survival rates, parasite clearance, and recrudescence time were evaluated. Histopathological studies were performed on the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus of the animals after 14 days' consumption of cannabis diet formulation by naive mice. Results: There was a significant difference (p<0.05) in the day-4 chemosuppression of parasitemia between the animals that were fed C. sativa and chloroquine relative to the untreated controls. There was also a significant difference in the survival rate (p<0.05) of animals fed C. sativa diet (40%, 20%, 10%, and 1%) in contrast to control animals on standard mice diet. A parasite clearance time of 2.18±0.4 was recorded in the chloroquine treatment group, whereas recrudescence in chloroquine group occurred on day 7. There were slight histomorphological changes in the PFC and cell densities of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus of animals that were fed C. sativa. Conclusions:C. sativa displayed mild antimalarial activity in vivo. There was evident reduction in symptomatic manifestation of malaria disease, though unrelated to levels of parasitemia. This disease tolerance status may be beneficial, but may also constitute a transmission burden through asymptomatic carriage of parasites by habitual cannabis users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olugbenga Akinola
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.,Biomedical Research Group, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.,Malaria Research Laboratories, Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Elizabeth O Ogbeche
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Hidayah A Olumoh-Abdul
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Abdulmusawwir O Alli-Oluwafuyi
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.,Biomedical Research Group, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Aboyeji L Oyewole
- Biomedical Research Group, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.,Department of Physiology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Abdulbasit Amin
- Biomedical Research Group, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.,Department of Physiology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Wahab Imam AbdulMajeed
- Biomedical Research Group, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.,Department of Physiology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Olayemi Joseph Olajide
- Biomedical Research Group, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.,Department of Anatomy, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Abdurrazaq B Nafiu
- Biomedical Research Group, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.,Department of Physiology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Anoka A Njan
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Olufunke E Olorundare
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
| | - Grace O Gbotosho
- Malaria Research Laboratories, Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
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Pasupureddy R, Atul, Seshadri S, Pande V, Dixit R, Pandey KC. Current scenario and future strategies to fight artemisinin resistance. Parasitol Res 2018; 118:29-42. [PMID: 30478733 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-018-6126-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Despite several setbacks in the fight against malaria such as insecticide and drug resistance as well as low efficacy of available vaccines, considerable success in reducing malaria burden has been achieved in the past decade. Artemisinins (ARTs and their combination therapies, ACTs), the current frontline drugs against uncomplicated malaria, rapidly kill plasmodial parasites and are non-toxic at short exposures. Though the exact mode of action remains unclear, the endoperoxide bridge, indispensable for ART activity, is thought to react with heme released from hemoglobin hydrolysis and generate free radicals that alkylate multiple protein targets, thereby disrupting proteostasis pathways. However, rapid development of ART resistance in recent years with no potential alternatives on the horizon threaten the elimination efforts. The Greater Mekong Subregion in South-East Asia continues to churn out mutants resistant to multiple ACTs and detected in increasingly expanding geographies. Extensive research on ART-resistant strains have identified a potential candidate Kelch13, crucial for mediating ART resistance. Parasites with mutations in the propeller domains of Plasmodium falciparum Kelch13 protein were shown to have enhanced phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase levels that were concomitant with delayed parasite clearance. Current research focused on understanding the mechanism of Kelch13-mediated ART resistance could provide better insights into Plasmodium resistome. This review covers the current proposed mechanisms of ART activity, resistance strategies adopted by the parasite in response to ACTs and possible future approaches to mitigate the spread of resistance from South-East Asia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Pasupureddy
- National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka Sector 8, New Delhi, 110077, India.,Institute of Science, Nirma University, SG Highway, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 382481, India
| | - Atul
- National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka Sector 8, New Delhi, 110077, India.,Department of Biotechnology, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, 263001, India
| | - Sriram Seshadri
- Institute of Science, Nirma University, SG Highway, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 382481, India
| | - Veena Pande
- Department of Biotechnology, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, 263001, India
| | - Rajnikant Dixit
- National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka Sector 8, New Delhi, 110077, India
| | - Kailash C Pandey
- National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka Sector 8, New Delhi, 110077, India. .,Department of Biochemistry, Indian Council of Medical Research, National Institute for Research in Environmental Health, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, 462001, India.
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Manhas A, Lone MY, Jha PC. In search of the representative pharmacophore hypotheses of the enzymatic proteome of Plasmodium falciparum: a multicomplex-based approach. Mol Divers 2018; 23:453-470. [DOI: 10.1007/s11030-018-9885-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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Population Pharmacokinetics of the Antimalarial Amodiaquine: a Pooled Analysis To Optimize Dosing. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2018; 62:AAC.02193-17. [PMID: 30038039 PMCID: PMC6153844 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02193-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Amodiaquine plus artesunate is the recommended antimalarial treatment in many countries where malaria is endemic. However, pediatric doses are largely based on a linear extrapolation from adult doses. Amodiaquine plus artesunate is the recommended antimalarial treatment in many countries where malaria is endemic. However, pediatric doses are largely based on a linear extrapolation from adult doses. We pooled data from previously published studies on the pharmacokinetics of amodiaquine, to optimize the dose across all age groups. Adults and children with uncomplicated malaria received daily weight-based doses of amodiaquine or artesunate-amodiaquine over 3 days. Plasma concentration-time profiles for both the parent drug and the metabolite were characterized using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling. Amodiaquine pharmacokinetics were adequately described by a two-compartment disposition model, with first-order elimination leading to the formation of desethylamodiaquine, which was best described by a three-compartment disposition model. Body size and age were the main covariates affecting amodiaquine clearance. After adjusting for the effect of weight, clearance rates for amodiaquine and desethylamodiaquine reached 50% of adult maturation at 2.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 3.7 months) and 3.9 months (95% CI, 2.6 to 5.3 months) after birth, assuming that the baby was born at term. Bioavailability was 22.4% (95% CI, 15.6 to 31.9%) lower at the start of treatment than during convalescence, which suggests a malaria disease effect. Neither the drug formulation nor the hemoglobin concentration had an effect on any pharmacokinetic parameters. Results from simulations showed that current manufacturer dosing recommendations resulted in low desethylamodiaquine exposure in patients weighing 8 kg, 15 to 17 kg, 33 to 35 kg, and >62 kg compared to that in a typical 50-kg patient. We propose possible optimized dosing regimens to achieve similar drug exposures among all age groups, which require further validation.
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de Lange C, Coertzen D, Smit FJ, Wentzel JF, Wong HN, Birkholtz LM, Haynes RK, N'Da DD. Synthesis, antimalarial activities and cytotoxicities of amino-artemisinin-1,2-disubstituted ferrocene hybrids. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2018; 28:3161-3163. [PMID: 30174153 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2018.08.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 08/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Artemisinin-ferrocene conjugates incorporating a 1,2-disubstituted ferrocene analogous to that embedded in ferroquine but attached via a piperazine linker to C10 of the artemisinin were prepared from the piperazine artemisinin derivative, and activities were evaluated against asexual blood stages of chloroquine (CQ) sensitive NF54 and CQ resistant K1 and W2 strains of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf). The most active was the morpholino derivative 5 with IC50 of 0.86 nM against Pf K1 and 1.4 nM against Pf W2. The resistance indices were superior to those of current clinical artemisinins. Notably, the compounds were active against Pf NF54 early and late blood stage gametocytes - these exerted >86% inhibition at 1 µM against both stages; they are thus appreciably more active than methylene blue (∼57% inhibition at 1 µM) against late stage gametocytes. The data portends transmission blocking activity. Cytotoxicity was determined against human embryonic kidney cells (Hek293), while human malignant melanoma cells (A375) were used to assess their antitumor activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christo de Lange
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
| | - Dina Coertzen
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Frans J Smit
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
| | - Johannes F Wentzel
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
| | - Ho Ning Wong
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
| | - Lyn-Marie Birkholtz
- Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Richard K Haynes
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
| | - David D N'Da
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
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Artemisone and Artemiside Are Potent Panreactive Antimalarial Agents That Also Synergize Redox Imbalance in Plasmodium falciparum Transmissible Gametocyte Stages. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2018; 62:AAC.02214-17. [PMID: 29866868 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02214-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of resistance toward artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum has the potential to severely compromise malaria control. Therefore, the development of new artemisinins in combination with new drugs that impart activities toward both intraerythrocytic proliferative asexual and transmissible gametocyte stages, in particular, those of resistant parasites, is urgently required. We define artemisinins as oxidant drugs through their ability to oxidize reduced flavin cofactors of flavin disulfide reductases critical for maintaining redox homeostasis in the malaria parasite. Here we compare the activities of 10-amino artemisinin derivatives toward the asexual and gametocyte stages of P. falciparum parasites. Of these, artemisone and artemiside inhibited asexual and gametocyte stages, particularly stage V gametocytes, in the low-nanomolar range. Further, treatment of both early and late gametocyte stages with artemisone or artemiside combined with the pro-oxidant redox partner methylene blue displayed notable synergism. These data suggest that modulation of redox homeostasis is likely an important druggable process, particularly in gametocytes, and this finding thereby enhances the prospect of using combinations of oxidant and redox drugs for malaria control.
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Wu Y, Parapini S, Williams ID, Misiano P, Wong HN, Taramelli D, Basilico N, Haynes RK. Facile Preparation of N-Glycosylated 10-Piperazinyl Artemisinin Derivatives and Evaluation of Their Antimalarial and Cytotoxic Activities. Molecules 2018; 23:molecules23071713. [PMID: 30011856 PMCID: PMC6100044 DOI: 10.3390/molecules23071713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the precepts that C-10 amino-artemisinins display optimum biological activities for the artemisinin drug class, and that attachment of a sugar enhances specificity of drug delivery, polarity and solubility so as to attenuate toxicity, we assessed the effects of attaching sugars to N-4 of the dihydroartemisinin (DHA)-piperazine derivative prepared in one step from DHA and piperazine. N-Glycosylated DHA-piperazine derivatives were obtained according to the Kotchetkov reaction by heating the DHA-piperazine with the sugar in a polar solvent. Structure of the D-glucose derivative is secured by X-ray crystallography. The D-galactose, L-rhamnose and D-xylose derivatives displayed IC50 values of 0.58–0.87 nM against different strains of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and selectivity indices (SI) >195, on average, with respect to the mouse fibroblast WEHI-164 cell line. These activities are higher than those of the amino-artemisinin, artemisone (IC50 0.9–1.1 nM). Notably, the D-glucose, D-maltose and D-ribose derivatives were the most active against the myelogenous leukemia K562 cell line with IC50 values of 0.78–0.87 µM and SI > 380 with respect to the human dermal fibroblasts (HDF). In comparison, artemisone has an IC50 of 0.26 µM, and a SI of 88 with the same cell lines. Overall, the N-glycosylated DHA-piperazine derivatives display antimalarial activities that are greatly superior to O-glycosides previously obtained from DHA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuet Wu
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Silvia Parapini
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences (DiSBIOC), University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy.
- Inter University Center for Malaria Research, Italian Malaria Network, University of Perugia, 06100 Perugia, Italy.
| | - Ian D Williams
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Paola Misiano
- Department of Pharmacological & Biomolecular Sciences (DiSFeB), University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Ho Ning Wong
- Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
| | - Donatella Taramelli
- Department of Pharmacological & Biomolecular Sciences (DiSFeB), University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy.
- Inter University Center for Malaria Research, Italian Malaria Network, University of Perugia, 06100 Perugia, Italy.
| | - Nicoletta Basilico
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences (DiSBIOC), University of Milan, Via Pascal 36, 20133 Milan, Italy.
- Inter University Center for Malaria Research, Italian Malaria Network, University of Perugia, 06100 Perugia, Italy.
| | - Richard K Haynes
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
- Center of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa.
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50
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Chen Y, Murillo-Solano C, Kirkpatrick MG, Antoshchenko T, Park HW, Pizarro JC. Repurposing drugs to target the malaria parasite unfolding protein response. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10333. [PMID: 29985421 PMCID: PMC6037779 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28608-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites represent a major obstacle in our efforts to control malaria, a deadly vector borne infectious disease. This situation creates an urgent need to find and validate new drug targets to contain the spread of the disease. Several genes associated with the unfolded protein response (UPR) including Glucose-regulated Protein 78 kDa (GRP78, also known as BiP) have been deemed potential drug targets. We explored the drug target potential of GRP78, a molecular chaperone that is a regulator of the UPR, for the treatment of P. falciparum parasite infection. By screening repurposed chaperone inhibitors that are anticancer agents, we showed that GRP78 inhibition is lethal to drug-sensitive and -resistant P. falciparum parasite strains in vitro. We correlated the antiplasmodial activity of the inhibitors with their ability to bind the malaria chaperone, by characterizing their binding to recombinant parasite GRP78. Furthermore, we determined the crystal structure of the ATP binding domain of P. falciparum GRP78 with ADP and identified structural features unique to the parasite. These data suggest that P. falciparum GRP78 can be a valid drug target and that its structural differences to human GRP78 emphasize potential to generate parasite specific compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Chen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA
| | - Claribel Murillo-Solano
- Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA
| | - Melanie G Kirkpatrick
- Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA
| | - Tetyana Antoshchenko
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA
| | - Hee-Won Park
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA.,Vector Borne Infectious Disease Research Center (VBIDRC), Tulane University, New Orleans, USA
| | - Juan C Pizarro
- Department of Tropical Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA. .,Vector Borne Infectious Disease Research Center (VBIDRC), Tulane University, New Orleans, USA.
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