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Martins AC, Paoliello MMB, Docea AO, Santamaria A, Tinkov AA, Skalny AV, Aschner M. Review of the mechanism underlying mefloquine-induced neurotoxicity. Crit Rev Toxicol 2021; 51:209-216. [PMID: 33905310 DOI: 10.1080/10408444.2021.1901258] [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: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Mefloquine, a potent blood schizontocide, is effective against drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. This property, along with its unique pharmacokinetic profile, makes mefloquine a widely prescribed antimalarial drug. However, several epidemiological studies have raised concerns on the safety of mefloquine as prophylaxis for malaria. Well-documented side-effects of mefloquine include abnormal dreams, insomnia, anxiety, and depressed mood, as well as nausea and dizziness (the last two most frequent effects). The mechanisms that underlie the neurological/psychiatric complications of mefloquine are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to review the literature on the neurotoxic mechanisms of action of mefloquine to better understand its potential toxicity in the central nervous system, highlighting the mechanisms that lead to its psychiatric disorders. Experimental studies on the neurotoxic effects of mefloquine discussed herein include brain transporters of mefloquine, alteration in neurotransmitters, disruption on calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis and neuroinflammation, generation of oxidative stress response in neurons (involving glutathione, increased F2-isoprostanes, accumulation of cytosolic lipid globules), and alteration of voltage-dependent channels, as well as gap junction intercellular communications. Although several hypotheses have been proposed for the mechanisms that mediate mefloquine-induced brain damage, they are not fully understood, necessitating additional studies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Airton C Martins
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Monica M B Paoliello
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Anca O Docea
- Department of Toxicology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Craiova, Romania
| | - Abel Santamaria
- Laboratorio de Aminoacidos Excitadores, Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia Manuel Velasco Suarez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Alexey A Tinkov
- I.M. Sechenov First, Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.,KG Razumovsky Moscow State University of Technologies and Management, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anatoly V Skalny
- I.M. Sechenov First, Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia.,KG Razumovsky Moscow State University of Technologies and Management, Moscow, Russia
| | - Michael Aschner
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.,I.M. Sechenov First, Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia
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Antiplasmodial and Cytotoxic Activities of Extracts of Selected Medicinal Plants Used to Treat Malaria in Embu County, Kenya. J Parasitol Res 2020; 2020:8871375. [PMID: 32724666 PMCID: PMC7364238 DOI: 10.1155/2020/8871375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is a deadly disease caused by a protozoan parasite whose mode of transmission is through a female Anopheles mosquito. It affects persons of all ages; however, pregnant mothers, young children, and the elderly suffer the most due to their dwindled immune state. The currently prescribed antimalarial drugs have been associated with adverse side effects ranging from intolerance to toxicity. Furthermore, the costs associated with conventional approach of managing malaria are arguably high especially for persons living in low-income countries, hence the need for alternative and complementary approaches. Medicinal plants offer a viable alternative because of their few associated side effects, are arguably cheaper, and are easily accessible. Based on the fact that studies involving antimalarial medicinal plants as potential sources of efficacious and cost-effective pharmacotherapies are far between, this research was designed to investigate antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activities of organic and aqueous extracts of selected plants used by Embu traditional medicine practitioners to treat malaria. The studied plants included Erythrina abyssinica (stem bark), Schkuhria pinnata (whole plant), Sterculia africana (stem bark), Terminalia brownii (leaves), Zanthoxylum chalybeum (leaves), Leonotis mollissima (leaves), Carissa edulis (leaves), Tithonia diversifolia (leaves and flowers), and Senna didymobotrya (leaves and pods). In vitro antiplasmodial activity studies of organic and water extracts were carried out against chloroquine-sensitive (D6) and chloroquine-resistance (W2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. In vivo antiplasmodial studies were done by Peter's four-day suppression test to test for their in vivo antimalarial activity against P. berghei. Finally, cytotoxic effects and safety of the studied plant extracts were evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) rapid calorimetric assay technique. The water and methanolic extracts of T. brownii and S. africana and dichloromethane extracts of E. abyssinica, S. pinnata, and T. diversifolia leaves revealed high in vitro antiplasmodial activities (IC50 ≤ 10 μg/ml). Further, moderate in vivo antimalarial activities were observed for water and methanolic extracts of L. mollissima and S. africana and for dichloromethane extracts of E. abyssinica and T. diversifolia leaves. In this study, aqueous extracts of T. brownii and S. africana demonstrated high antiplasmodial activity and high selectivity indices values (SI ≥ 10) and were found to be safe. It was concluded that T. brownii and S. africana aqueous extracts were potent antiplasmodial agents. Further focused studies geared towards isolation of active constituents and determination of in vivo toxicities to ascertain their safety are warranted.
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Duparc S, Chalon S, Miller S, Richardson N, Toovey S. Neurological and psychiatric safety of tafenoquine in Plasmodium vivax relapse prevention: a review. Malar J 2020; 19:111. [PMID: 32169086 PMCID: PMC7071640 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-020-03184-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tafenoquine is an 8-aminoquinoline anti-malarial drug recently approved as a single-dose (300 mg) therapy for Plasmodium vivax relapse prevention, when co-administered with 3-days of chloroquine or other blood schizonticide. Tafenoquine 200 mg weekly after a loading dose is also approved as travellers' prophylaxis. The development of tafenoquine has been conducted over many years, using various dosing regimens in diverse populations. METHODS This review brings together all the preclinical and clinical data concerning tafenoquine central nervous system safety. Data were assembled from published sources. The risk of neuropsychiatric adverse events (NPAEs) with single-dose tafenoquine (300 mg) in combination with chloroquine to achieve P. vivax relapse prevention is particularly examined. RESULTS There was no evidence of neurotoxicity with tafenoquine in preclinical animal models. In clinical studies in P. vivax relapse prevention, nervous system adverse events, mainly headache and dizziness, occurred in 11.4% (36/317) of patients with tafenoquine (300 mg)/chloroquine versus 10.2% (19/187) with placebo/chloroquine; and in 15.5% (75/483) of patients with tafenoquine/chloroquine versus 13.3% (35/264) with primaquine (15 mg/day for 14 days)/chloroquine. Psychiatric adverse events, mainly insomnia, occurred in 3.8% (12/317) of patients with tafenoquine/chloroquine versus 2.7% (5/187) with placebo/chloroquine; and in 2.9% (14/483) of patients with tafenoquine/chloroquine versus 3.4% (9/264) for primaquine/chloroquine. There were no serious or severe NPAEs observed with tafenoquine (300 mg)/chloroquine in these studies. CONCLUSIONS The risk:benefit of single-dose tafenoquine/chloroquine in P. vivax relapse prevention is favourable in the presence of malaria, with a low risk of NPAEs, similar to that seen with chloroquine alone or primaquine/chloroquine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Duparc
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, 1215, Geneva 15, Switzerland.
| | - Stephan Chalon
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, 1215, Geneva 15, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Stephen Toovey
- Medicines for Malaria Venture, Route de Pré-Bois 20, 1215, Geneva 15, Switzerland.,Pegasus Research, London, UK
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Val F, Costa FT, King L, Brito-Sousa JD, Bassat Q, Monteiro WM, Siqueira AM, Luzzatto L, Lacerda MV. Tafenoquine for the prophylaxis, treatment and elimination of malaria: eagerness must meet prudence. Future Microbiol 2019; 14:1261-1279. [PMID: 31596137 DOI: 10.2217/fmb-2019-0202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria puts more than 3 billion people at risk of infection and causes high morbidity and mortality. Plasmodium vivax forms hypnozoites, which may initiate recurrences, even in the absence of reinfection or superinfection. Until recently, the only drug available for eliminating hypnozoites was primaquine (PQ), which, given its short half-life, requires a relatively long course of treatment. Tafenoquine (TQ) is a PQ analog with a longer half-life. This enables radical cure of malaria with a single dose and overcomes adherence issues associated with PQ, thereby increasing effectiveness in real-life settings. Clinical studies have provided sound evidence for TQ's safety and efficacy against malaria, which recently led to its approval by the US FDA. Here, we review aspects of TQ, including how to avoid hemolytic anemia in G6PD deficient patients. We believe that TQ promises to be a major advance toward malaria elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Val
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Doutor Heitor Vieira Dourado, Manaus, Amazonas, 69040-000, Brazil
| | - Fabio Tm Costa
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Liam King
- The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jose D Brito-Sousa
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Doutor Heitor Vieira Dourado, Manaus, Amazonas, 69040-000, Brazil.,Escola Superior de Ciências da Saúde,Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, 69065-001, Brazil
| | - Quique Bassat
- ISGlobal, Hospital Clínic - Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, 08036, Spain.,Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Distrito da Manhiça, CP 1929, Maputo, Mozambique.,ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, 08010, Spain.,Pediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, Pediatrics Department, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu (University of Barcelona), Barcelona, 08950, Spain
| | - Wuelton M Monteiro
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Doutor Heitor Vieira Dourado, Manaus, Amazonas, 69040-000, Brazil.,Escola Superior de Ciências da Saúde,Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, 69065-001, Brazil
| | - André M Siqueira
- Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Lucio Luzzatto
- Department of Hematology & Blood Transfusion, Muhimbili University of Health & Allied Sciences, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Marcus Vg Lacerda
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical Doutor Heitor Vieira Dourado, Manaus, Amazonas, 69040-000, Brazil.,Instituto Leônidas e Maria Deane, FIOCRUZ-AM, Manaus, Amazonas, 69057-070, Brazil
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Berman J, Brown T, Dow G, Toovey S. Tafenoquine and primaquine do not exhibit clinical neurologic signs associated with central nervous system lesions in the same manner as earlier 8-aminoquinolines. Malar J 2018; 17:407. [PMID: 30400893 PMCID: PMC6219089 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-018-2555-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tafenoquine was recently approved for Plasmodium vivax radical cure (KRINTAFEL™) and malaria prevention (ARAKODA™). METHODS A review of the non-clinical and clinical literature was conducted to assess whether tafenoquine (and primaquine) exhibit the same neurologic lesions and associated clinical signs as earlier 8-aminoquinolines, as has been alleged in recent opinion pieces. RESULTS Plasmocid, pamaquine and pentaquine damage specific neuro-anatomical structures in Rhesus monkeys and humans leading to corresponding deficits in neurologic function. Neurologic therapeutic indices for these 3 drugs calculated based on monkey data were well correlated with human data. Despite 60 years of use, there is no evidence that primaquine exhibits similar neurotoxicity in humans. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS Extrapolation of data from Rhesus monkeys to humans, and the available clinical data, suggest that tafenoquine also does not exhibit pamaquine, pentaquine or plasmocid-like clinical neurologic signs in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tracey Brown
- Clinical Network Services Pty Ltd, 88/4 Jephson Road, Toowong, 4066 Queensland Australia
| | - Geoffrey Dow
- 60°Pharmaceuticals LLC, 1025 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20036 USA
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