The enemy within: Targeting host-parasite interaction for antileishmanial drug discovery

New immunomodulatory treatment protocol for canine leishmaniosis reduces parasitemia and proteinuria

The current standard treatment for canine leishmaniosis (CanL), N-methylglucamine antimoniate (MGA) given with allopurinol, is not fully effective and may cause adverse effects and drug resistance. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that nucleotides, administered alone or with AHCC, offer benefits in the treatment of CanL. This study examines the effects of a new immunomodulatory treatment protocol in which dietary nucleotides and AHCC are added to the recommended standard treatment. Out of 160 sick dogs with naturally occurring clinical leishmaniosis recruited, 97 were randomized to a supplement (n = 47) or control (n = 50) group. All dogs received an initial 28-day course of MGA and 365-day course of allopurinol. From day 0 to day 730, dogs in the control group additionally received a placebo, while dogs in the supplement group received Impromune (Bioiberica S.A.U., Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain), an oral supplement providing 32 mg/kg nucleotides and 17 mg/kg AHCC daily. After 2 years, five dogs had relapsed in the supplement group (18.5%) while seven did so in the control group (22.6%). Over time, animals in both groups showed significant improvements in body weight, LeishVet clinical stage, clinical score, and anti-Leishmania antibodies. Adding the supplement to the standard protocol resulted in further significant improvements, namely in reducing the parasite load and urinary protein/creatinine ratio, improving IRIS stage, lowering serum creatinine levels on day 30, deceasing urine turbidity on day 365, and improving weight gain on day 545. The daily intake of the supplement over two years proved safe and well tolerated. Our study confirms the efficacy of the recommended standard treatment for CanL, but also reveals that by adding Impromune additional benefits are obtained, especially reduced parasitemia and improved renal function.

1,2,4-Oxadiazole Derivatives: Physicochemical Properties, Antileishmanial Potential, Docking and Molecular Dynamic Simulations of Leishmania infantum Target Proteins

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, remains a significant public health concern due to its potentially lethal nature if untreated. Current chemotherapy options are limited by severe toxicity and drug resistance. Derivatives of 1,2,4-oxadiazole have emerged as promising drug candidates due to their broad biological activity. This study investigated the effects of novel 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives (Ox1-Ox7) on Leishmania infantum, the etiological agent of VL. In silico predictions using SwissADME suggest that these compounds have high oral absorption and good bioavailability. Among them, Ox1 showed the most promise, with higher selectivity against promastigotes and lower cytotoxicity towards L929 fibroblasts and J774.G8 macrophages. Ox1 exhibited selectivity indices of 18.7 and 61.7 against L. infantum promastigotes and amastigotes, respectively, compared to peritoneal macrophages. Ultrastructural analyses revealed severe morphological damage in both parasite forms, leading to cell death. Additionally, Ox1 decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential in promastigotes, as shown by flow cytometry. Molecular docking and dynamic simulations indicated a strong affinity of Ox1 for the L. infantum CYP51 enzyme. Overall, Ox1 is a promising and effective compound against L. infantum.

Targeting and activation of macrophages in leishmaniasis. A focus on iron oxide nanoparticles

Macrophages play a pivotal role as host cells for Leishmania parasites, displaying a notable functional adaptability ranging from the proinflammatory, leishmanicidal M1 phenotype to the anti-inflammatory, parasite-permissive M2 phenotype. While macrophages can potentially eradicate amastigotes through appropriate activation, Leishmania employs diverse strategies to thwart this activation and redirect macrophages toward an M2 phenotype, facilitating its survival and replication. Additionally, a competition for iron between the two entities exits, as iron is vital for both and is also implicated in macrophage defensive oxidative mechanisms and modulation of their phenotype. This review explores the intricate interplay between macrophages, Leishmania, and iron. We focus the attention on the potential of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) as a sort of immunotherapy to treat some leishmaniasis forms by reprogramming Leishmania-permissive M2 macrophages into antimicrobial M1 macrophages. Through the specific targeting of iron in macrophages, the use of IONPs emerges as a promising strategy to finely tune the parasite-host interaction, endowing macrophages with an augmented antimicrobial arsenal capable of efficiently eliminating these intrusive microbes.

Combating antimicrobial resistance in malaria, HIV and tuberculosis

Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant threat to the sustainability of effective treatments against the three most prevalent infectious diseases: malaria, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and tuberculosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel drugs and treatment protocols capable of reducing the emergence of resistance and combating it when it does occur. In this Review, we present an overview of the status and underlying molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in these three diseases. We also discuss current strategies to address resistance during the research and development of next-generation therapies. These strategies vary depending on the infectious agent and the array of resistance mechanisms involved. Furthermore, we explore the potential for cross-fertilization of knowledge and technology among these diseases to create innovative approaches for minimizing drug resistance and advancing the discovery and development of new anti-infective treatments. In conclusion, we advocate for the implementation of well-defined strategies to effectively mitigate and manage resistance in all interventions against infectious diseases.

Compounds with potentialities as novel chemotherapeutic agents in leishmaniasis at preclinical level

Leishmaniasis are neglected infectious diseases caused by kinetoplastid protozoan parasites from the genus Leishmania. These sicknesses are present mainly in tropical regions and almost 1 million new cases are reported each year. The absence of vaccines, as well as the high cost, toxicity or resistance to the current drugs determines the necessity of new treatments against these pathologies. In this review, several compounds with potentialities as new antileishmanial drugs are presented. The discussion is restricted to the preclinical level and molecules are organized according to their chemical nature, source and molecular targets. In this manner, we present antimicrobial peptides, flavonoids, withanolides, 8-aminoquinolines, compounds from Leish-Box, pyrazolopyrimidines, and inhibitors of tubulin polymerization/depolymerization, topoisomerase IB, proteases, pteridine reductase, N-myristoyltransferase, as well as enzymes involved in polyamine metabolism, response against oxidative stress, signaling pathways, and sterol biosynthesis. This work is a contribution to the general knowledge of these compounds as antileishmanial agents.

Review of Leishmaniasis Treatment: Can We See the Forest through the Trees?

There are three known clinical syndromes of leishmaniasis: cutaneous (CL), mucocutaneous (MCL), and visceral disease (VL). In MCL and VL, treatment must be systemic (either oral or intravenous), while CL treatment options vary and include observation-only localized/topical treatment, oral medications, or parenteral drugs. Leishmaniasis treatment is difficult, with several factors to be considered. First, the efficacy of treatments varies among different species of parasites prevalent in different areas on the globe, with each species having a unique clinical presentation and resistance profile. Furthermore, leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD), resulting in a lack of evidence-based knowledge regarding treatment. Therefore, physicians often rely on case reports or case series studies, in the absence of randomized controlled trials (RCT), to assess treatment efficacy. Second, defining cure, especially in CL and MCL, may be difficult, as death of the parasite can be achieved in most cases, while the aesthetic result (e.g., scars) is hard to predict. This is a result of the biological nature of the disease, often diagnosed late in the course of disease (with possible keloid formation, etc.). Third, physicians must consider treatment ease of use and the safety profile of possible treatments. Thus, topical or oral treatments (for CL) are desirable and promote adherence. Fourth, the cost of the treatment is an important consideration. In this review, we aim to describe the diverse treatment options for different clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis. For each currently available treatment, we will discuss the various considerations mentioned above (efficacy, ease of use, safety, and cost).

The effects of Leishmania RNA virus 2 (LRV2) on the virulence factors of L. major and pro-inflammatory biomarkers: an in vitro study on human monocyte cell line (THP-1)

BACKGROUND

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a parasitic disease with diverse outcomes. Clinical diversity is influenced by various factors such as Leishmania species and host genetic background. The role of Leishmania RNA virus (LRV), as an endosymbiont, is suggested to not only affect the pathogenesis of Leishmania, but also impact host immune responses. This study aimed to investigate the influence of LRV2 on the expression of a number of virulence factors (VFs) of Leishmania and pro-inflammatory biomarkers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sample were obtained from CL patients from Golestan province. Leishmania species were identified by PCR (LIN 4, 17), and the presence of LRV2 was checked using the semi-nested PCR (RdRp gene). Human monocyte cell line (THP-1) was treated with three isolates of L. major with LRV2 and one isolate of L. major without LRV2. The treatments with four isolates were administered for the time points: zero, 12, 24, 36, and 48 h after co-infection. The expression levels of Leishmania VFs genes including GP63, HSP83, and MPI, as well as pro-inflammatory biomarkers genes including NLRP3, IL18, and IL1β, were measured using quantitative real-time PCR.

RESULTS

The expression of GP63, HSP83, and MPI revealed up-regulation in LRV2 + isolates compared to LRV2- isolates. The expression of the pro-inflammatory biomarkers including NLRP3, IL1β, and IL18 genes in LRV2- were higher than LRV2 + isolates.

CONCLUSION

This finding suggests that LRV2 + may have a probable effect on the Leishmania VFs and pro-inflammatory biomarkers in the human macrophage model.

Repurposing of conformationally-restricted cyclopentane-based AKT-inhibitors leads to discovery of potential and more selective antileishmanial agents than miltefosine

Conformational restriction was addressed towards the development of more selective and effective antileishmanial agents than currently used drugs for treatment of Leishmania donovani; the causative parasite of the fatal visceral leishmaniasis. Five types of cyclopentane-based conformationally restricted miltefosine analogs that were previously explored in literature as anticancer AKT-inhibitors were reprepared and repurposed as antileishmanial agents. Amongst, positions-1 and 2 cis-conformationally-restricted compound 1a and positions-2 and 3 trans-conformationally-restricted compound 3b were highly potent eliciting sub-micromolar IC50 values for inhibition of infection and inhibition of parasite number compared with the currently used miltefosine drug that showed low micromolar IC50 values for inhibition of infection and inhibition of parasite number. Compounds 1a and 3b eradicated the parasite without triggering host cells cytotoxicity over more than one log concentration interval which is a superior performance compared to miltefosine. In silico studies suggested that conformational restriction conserved the conformer capable of binding LdAKT-like kinase while it might be possible that it excludes other conformers mediating undesirable effects and/or toxicity of miltefosine. Together, this study presents compounds 1a and 3b as antileishmanial agents with superior performance over the currently used miltefosine drug.

Label-Free Mass Spectrometry Proteomics Reveals Different Pathways Modulated in THP-1 Cells Infected with Therapeutic Failure and Drug Resistance Leishmania infantum Clinical Isolates

As the world is facing increasing difficulties to treat leishmaniasis with current therapies, deeper investigation into the molecular mechanisms responsible for both drug resistance and treatment failure (TF) is essential in drug discovery and development. So far, few available drugs cause severe side effects and have developed several resistance mechanisms. Drug resistance and TF parasite strains from clinical isolates may have acquired altered expression of proteins that characterize specific mechanisms leading to therapy inefficacy. This work aims to identify the biochemical pathways of THP-1 human monocytes infected by different Leishmania infantum clinical isolates from patients with either resistance or with TF outcome, using whole cell differential Mass Spectrometry proteomics. We have adopted network enrichment analysis to integrate the transcriptomics and the proteomic results of infected cells studies. Transferrin receptor C (TFRC) and nucleoside diphosphate kinase 3 (NDK3) were discovered as overexpressed proteins in THP-1 cells infected with paromomycin, antimony, and miltefosine resistant L. infantum lines. The overall achievements represent founding concepts to confirm new targets involved in the parasitic drug resistance and TF mechanisms, and to consider in perspective the importance of a dual host-guest pharmacological approach to treat the acute stage of the disease.

Leishmanicidal Activity of Guanidine Derivatives against Leishmania infantum

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical infectious disease with thousands of cases annually; it is of great concern to global health, particularly the most severe form, visceral leishmaniasis. Visceral leishmaniasis treatments are minimal and have severe adverse effects. As guanidine-bearing compounds have shown antimicrobial activity, we analyzed the cytotoxic effects of several guanidine-bearing compounds on Leishmania infantum in their promastigote and amastigote forms in vitro, their cytotoxicity in human cells, and their impact on reactive nitrogen species production. LQOFG-2, LQOFG-6, and LQOFG-7 had IC50 values of 12.7, 24.4, and 23.6 µM, respectively, in promastigotes. These compounds exhibited cytotoxicity in axenic amastigotes at 26.1, 21.1, and 18.6 µM, respectively. The compounds showed no apparent cytotoxicity in cells from healthy donors. To identify mechanisms of action, we evaluated cell death processes by annexin V and propidium iodide staining and nitrite production. Guanidine-containing compounds caused a significant percentage of death by apoptosis in amastigotes. Independent of L. infantum infection, LQOFG-7 increased nitrite production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which suggests a potential mechanism of action for this compound. Therefore, these data suggest that guanidine derivatives are potential anti-microbial molecules, and further research is needed to fully understand their mechanism of action, especially in anti-leishmanial studies.

Emerging strategies and challenges of molecular therapeutics in antileishmanial drug development

Molecular therapy refers to targeted therapies based on molecules which have been intelligently directed towards specific biomolecular structures and include small molecule drugs, monoclonal antibodies, proteins and peptides, DNA or RNA-based strategies, targeted chemotherapy and nanomedicines. Molecular therapy is emerging as the most effective strategy to combat the present challenges of life-threatening visceral leishmaniasis, where the successful human vaccine is currently unavailable. Moreover, current chemotherapy-based strategies are associated with the issues of ineffective targeting, unavoidable toxicities, invasive therapies, prolonged treatment, high treatment costs and the development of drug-resistant strains. Thus, the rational approach to antileishmanial drug development primarily demands critical exploration and exploitation of biochemical differences between host and parasite biology, immunocharacteristics of parasite homing, and host-parasite interactions at the molecular/cellular level. Following this, the novel technology-based designing and development of host and/or parasite-targeted therapeutics having leishmanicidal and immunomodulatory activity is utmost essential to improve treatment efficacy. Thus, the present review is focused on immunological and molecular checkpoint targets in host-pathogen interaction, and molecular therapeutic prospects for Leishmania intervention, and the challenges ahead.

Anti-trypanosomatid drug discovery: progress and challenges

Leishmaniasis (visceral and cutaneous), Chagas disease and human African trypanosomiasis cause substantial death and morbidity, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Although the situation has improved for human African trypanosomiasis, there remains an urgent need for new medicines to treat leishmaniasis and Chagas disease; the clinical development pipeline is particularly sparse for Chagas disease. In this Review, we describe recent advances in our understanding of the biology of the causative pathogens, particularly from the drug discovery perspective, and we explore the progress that has been made in the development of new drug candidates and the identification of promising molecular targets. We also explore the challenges in developing new clinical candidates and discuss potential solutions to overcome such hurdles.

Krebs cycle enzymes for targeted therapeutics and immunotherapy for anti-leishmanial drug development using: Pathways, potential targets, and future perspectives

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic and neglected tropical disease which majorly impacts poor and developing nations. One of the significant factors that impacts the severity of the pathological condition includes the socioeconomic background of the affected region. The rise of drug-resistant Leishmania is a serious concern for the effectiveness of the present treatment. As a result, the drug options need to be relooked immediately. Leishmania employs Krebs cycle intermediates for its needs after infection for establishing various defense mechanisms to escape the host immune responses. Nevertheless, a variety of immunological reactions are also seen during infection, which clear the parasites. One of the more promising strategies in this regard would involve combining targeted therapy and immunotherapy. The targeted treatments work by obstructing vital pathways that are required for Leishmania to grow and survive. The mechanism of action of immunotherapy is the control of the host immune response, which entails the blockage of molecular pathways essential for the growth and maintenance of the parasite. The Krebs cycle intermediates have important biochemical roles. Additionally, in macrophages and dendritic cells, they play roles as signalling molecules for controlling inflammatory responses. The review brings together the available literature about the importance of Krebs cycle metabolites as potential treatment targets for leishmaniasis.

Comparison of high throughput RNA sequences between Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis revealed consistent differential gene expression that is required for the Babesia life cycle in the vertebrate and invertebrate hosts

Bovine babesiosis caused by Babesia bigemina and Babesia bovis is an economically important disease that affects cattle worldwide. Both B. bigemina and B. bovis are transovarially transmitted by Rhipicephalus ticks. However, little is known regarding parasite gene expression during infection of the tick vector or mammalian host, which has limited the development of effective control strategies to alleviate the losses to the cattle industry. To understand Babesia gene regulation during tick and mammalian host infection, we performed high throughput RNA-sequencing using samples collected from calves and Rhipicephalus microplus ticks infected with B. bigemina. We evaluated gene expression between B. bigemina blood-stages and kinetes and compared them with previous B. bovis RNA-seq data. The results revealed similar patterns of gene regulation between these two tick-borne transovarially transmitted Babesia parasites. Like B. bovis, the transcription of several B. bigemina genes in kinetes exceeded a 1,000-fold change while a few of these genes had a >20,000-fold increase. To identify genes that may have important roles in B. bigemina and B. bovis transovarial transmission, we searched for genes upregulated in B. bigemina kinetes in the genomic datasets of B. bovis and non-transovarially transmitted parasites, Theileria spp. and Babesia microti. Using this approach, we identify genes that may be potential markers for transovarial transmission by B. bigemina and B. bovis. The findings presented herein demonstrate common Babesia genes linked to infection of the vector or mammalian host and may contribute to elucidating strategies used by the parasite to complete their life cycle.

The Defensive Interactions of Prominent Infectious Protozoan Parasites: The Host's Complement System

The complement system exerts crucial functions both in innate immune responses and adaptive humoral immunity. This pivotal system plays a major role dealing with pathogen invasions including protozoan parasites. Different pathogens including parasites have developed sophisticated strategies to defend themselves against complement killing. Some of these strategies include the employment, mimicking or inhibition of host's complement regulatory proteins, leading to complement evasion. Therefore, parasites are proven to use the manipulation of the complement system to assist them during infection and persistence. Herein, we attempt to study the interaction´s mechanisms of some prominent infectious protozoan parasites including Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, Trypanosoma, and Leishmania dealing with the complement system. Moreover, several crucial proteins that are expressed, recruited or hijacked by parasites and are involved in the modulation of the host´s complement system are selected and their role for efficient complement killing or lysis evasion is discussed. In addition, parasite's complement regulatory proteins appear as plausible therapeutic and vaccine targets in protozoan parasitic infections. Accordingly, we also suggest some perspectives and insights useful in guiding future investigations.

A determination of pan-pathogen antimicrobials?

While antimicrobial drug development has historically mitigated infectious diseases that are known, COVID-19 revealed a dearth of 'in-advance' therapeutics suitable for infections by pathogens that have not yet emerged. Such drugs must exhibit a property that is antithetical to the classical paradigm of antimicrobial development: the ability to treat infections by any pathogen. Characterisation of such 'pan-pathogen' antimicrobials requires consolidation of drug repositioning studies, a new and growing field of drug discovery. In this review, a previously-established system for evaluating repositioning studies is used to highlight 4 therapeutics which exhibit pan-pathogen properties, namely azithromycin, ivermectin, niclosamide, and nitazoxanide. Recognition of the pan-pathogen nature of these antimicrobials is the cornerstone of a novel paradigm of antimicrobial development that is not only anticipatory of pandemics and bioterrorist attacks, but cognisant of conserved anti-infective mechanisms within the host-pathogen interactome which are only now beginning to emerge. Ultimately, the discovery of pan-pathogen antimicrobials is concomitantly the discovery of a new class of antivirals, and begets significant implications for pandemic preparedness research in a world after COVID-19.

Identification of the Host Substratome of Leishmania-Secreted Casein Kinase 1 Using a SILAC-Based Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Assay

Leishmaniasis is a severe public health problem, caused by the protozoan Leishmania. This parasite has two developmental forms, extracellular promastigote in the insect vector and intracellular amastigote in the mammalian host where it resides inside the phagolysosome of macrophages. Little is known about the virulence factors that regulate host-pathogen interactions and particularly host signalling subversion. All the proteomes of Leishmania extracellular vesicles identified the presence of Leishmania casein kinase 1 (L-CK1.2), a signalling kinase. L-CK1.2 is essential for parasite survival and thus might be essential for host subversion. To get insights into the functions of L-CK1.2 in the macrophage, the systematic identification of its host substrates is crucial, we thus developed an easy method to identify substrates, combining phosphatase treatment, in vitro kinase assay and Stable Isotope Labelling with Amino acids in Cell (SILAC) culture-based mass spectrometry. Implementing this approach, we identified 225 host substrates as well as a potential novel phosphorylation motif for CK1. We confirmed experimentally the enrichment of our substratome in bona fide L-CK1.2 substrates and showed they were also phosphorylated by human CK1δ. L-CK1.2 substratome is enriched in biological processes such as "viral and symbiotic interaction," "actin cytoskeleton organisation" and "apoptosis," which are consistent with the host pathways modified by Leishmania upon infection, suggesting that L-CK1.2 might be the missing link. Overall, our results generate important mechanistic insights into the signalling of host subversion by these parasites and other microbial pathogens adapted for intracellular survival.

Going ballistic: Leishmania nuclear subversion of host cell plasticity

Intracellular parasites have evolved intricate strategies to subvert host cell functions for their own survival. These strategies are particularly damaging to the host if the infection involves immune cells, as illustrated by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania that thrive inside mononuclear phagocytic cells, causing devastating immunopathologies. While the impact of Leishmania infection on host cell phenotype and functions has been well documented, the regulatory mechanisms underlying host cell subversion were only recently investigated. Here we summarize the current knowledge on how Leishmania infection affects host nuclear activities and propose thought-provoking new concepts on the reciprocal relationship between epigenetic and transcriptional regulation in host cell phenotypic plasticity, its potential subversion by the intracellular parasite, and its relevance for host-directed therapy.

Proteomic Analysis of Leishmania donovani Membrane Components Reveals the Role of Activated Protein C Kinase in Host-Parasite Interaction

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), mainly caused by the Leishmania donovani parasitic infection, constitutes a potentially fatal disease, for which treatment is primarily dependent on chemotherapy. The emergence of a resistant parasite towards current antileishmanial agents and increasing reports of relapses are the major concerns. Detailed research on the molecular interaction at the host-parasite interface may provide the identification of the parasite and the host-related factors operating during disease development. Genomic and proteomic studies highlighted several essential secretory and cytosolic proteins that play vital roles during Leishmania pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to identify membrane proteins from the Leishmania donovani parasite and the host macrophage that interact with each other using 2-DE/MALDI-TOF/MS. We identified membrane proteins including activated protein C kinase, peroxidoxin, small myristoylated protein 1 (SMP-1), and cytochrome C oxidase from the parasite, while identifying filamin A interacting protein 1(FILIP1) and β-actin from macrophages. We further investigated parasite replication and persistence within macrophages following the macrophage-amastigote model in the presence or absence of withaferin (WA), an inhibitor of activated C kinase. WA significantly reduced Leishmania donovani replication within host macrophages. This study sheds light on the important interacting proteins for parasite proliferation and virulence, and the establishment of infection within host cells, which can be targeted further to develop a strategy for chemotherapeutic intervention.

Dangerous Duplicity: The Dual Functions of Casein Kinase 1 in Parasite Biology and Host Subversion

Casein Kinase 1 (CK1) family members are serine/threonine protein kinases that are involved in many biological processes and highly conserved in eukaryotes from protozoan to humans. Even though pathogens exploit host CK1 signaling pathways to survive, the role of CK1 in infectious diseases and host/pathogen interaction is less well characterized compared to other diseases, such as cancer or neurodegenerative diseases. Here we present the current knowledge on CK1 in protozoan parasites highlighting their essential role for parasite survival and their importance for host-pathogen interactions. We also discuss how the dual requirement of CK1 family members for parasite biological processes and host subversion could be exploited to identify novel antimicrobial interventions.

Searching for the sweet spot of amoebic gill disease of farmed Atlantic salmon: the potential role of glycan-lectin interactions in the adhesion of Neoparamoeba perurans

One of the first critical steps in the pathogenesis of amoebic gill disease (AGD) of farmed salmon is the adhesion of the causative amoeba to the host. The current study aimed to investigate the potential involvement of glycan-binding proteins expressed on the extracellular surface of Neoparamoeba perurans in gill tissue recognition and binding. The glycan-binding properties of the surface membrane of N. perurans and the carbohydrate binding profile of Atlantic salmon gill-derived epithelial cells were identified through the use of glycan and lectin microarrays, respectively. The occurrence of specific carbohydrate-mediated binding was then further assessed by in vitro attachment assays using microtitre plates pre-coated with the main glycan candidates. Adhesion assays were also performed in the presence of exogenous saccharides with the aim of blocking glycan-specific binding activity. Comparative analysis of the results from both lectin and glycan arrays showed significant overlap, as some glycans to which binding by the amoeba was seen were reflected as being present on the gill epithelial cells. The two main candidates proposed to be involved in amoeba attachment to the gills are mannobiose and N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc). Adhesion of amoebae significantly increased by 33.5 and 23% when cells were added to α1,3-Mannobiose-BSA and GalNAc-BSA coated plates. The observed increased in attachment was significantly reduced when the amoebae were incubated with exogenous glycans, further demonstrating the presence of mannobiose- and GalNAc-binding sites on the surfaces of the cells. We believe this study provides the first evidence for the presence of a highly specific carbohydrate recognition and binding system in N. perurans. These preliminary findings could be of extreme importance given that AGD is an external parasitic infestation and much of the current research on the development of alternative treatment strategies relies on either instant amoeba detachment or blocking parasite attachment.

High Content Analysis of Macrophage-Targeting EhPIb-Compounds against Cutaneous and Visceral Leishmania Species

An immunostimulatory glycolipid molecule from the intestinal protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica (Eh) and its synthetic analogs derived from its phosphatidylinositol-b-anchor (EhPIb) previously showed considerable immunotherapeutic effects against Leishmania major infection in vitro and in vivo. Here, we describe a high content screening assay, based on primary murine macrophages. Parasites detection is based on a 90 kDA heat shock protein-specific staining, enabling the detection of several Leishmania species. We validated the assay using L. major, L. braziliensis, L. donovani, and L. infantum as well as investigated the anti-leishmanial activity of six immunostimulatory EhPIb-compounds (Eh-1 to Eh-6). Macrophages infected with dermotropic species were more sensitive towards treatment with the compounds as their viability showed a stronger reduction compared to macrophages infected with viscerotropic species. Most compounds caused a significant reduction of the infection rates and the parasite burdens depending on the infecting species. Only compound Eh-6 was found to have activity against all Leishmania species. Considering the challenges in anti-leishmanial drug discovery, we developed a multi-species screening assay capable of utilizing non-recombinant parasite strains, and demonstrated its usefulness by screening macrophage-targeting EhPIb-compounds showing their potential for the treatment of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis.

Leishmania amazonensis response to artemisinin and derivatives

The worldwide presence of Leishmania parasites increases in the poorest regions. Current leishmaniasis treatments are unsatisfactory due to resistance development, side effects and cost. Herein, we describe the in vitro activity of artemisinin (ART), artemether (ATM), artesunate (ATS) and dihydroartemisinin (DHA) against Leishmania amazonensis. Selected compounds were assayed in the animal model of cutaneous leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice. On intracellular amastigotes, similar activity (p > 0.05) was observed for ART, ATM and ATS (IC₅₀ = 15.0-19.2 μM), which were inferior (p < 0.05) respect to reference endoperoxide ascaridole (IC₅₀ = 11.5 ± 1.0 μM) and superior (p < 0.05) compared with reference drug Glucantime® (IC₅₀ = 30.1 ± 9.0 μM). In contrast, DHA (IC₅₀ = 38.5 ± 4.7 μM) showed higher IC₅₀ values (p < 0.05) than other artemisinins and ascaridole, but similar (p > 0.05) than Glucantime®; while deoxyartemisinin caused smaller inhibition (IC₅₀ = 88.9 ± 5.2 μM). Selectivity indexes of >13, 6, 11 and 1 were obtained for ART, ATM, ATS and DHA, respectively. In addition, the potential effect of ART and ATS was also demonstrated in the murine model, causing a significant reduction (p < 0.05) of the lesion size and parasite load regarding untreated animals and treated with vehicle. Effects of both artemisinins were comparable (p > 0.05) with Glucantime® and ascaridole-treated mice. In particular, artemisinin is recommended to further studies, which could be an advantage over the ascaridole endoperoxide and could be useful in endemic areas of parasite resistance to antimonials.

Macrophages as host, effector and immunoregulatory cells in leishmaniasis: Impact of tissue micro-environment and metabolism

Leishmania are protozoan parasites that predominantly reside in myeloid cells within their mammalian hosts. Monocytes and macrophages play a central role in the pathogenesis of all forms of leishmaniasis, including cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. The present review will highlight the diverse roles of macrophages in leishmaniasis as initial replicative niche, antimicrobial effectors, immunoregulators and as safe hideaway for parasites persisting after clinical cure. These multiplex activities are either ascribed to defined subpopulations of macrophages (e.g., Ly6C^highCCR2⁺ inflammatory monocytes/monocyte-derived dendritic cells) or result from different activation statuses of tissue macrophages (e.g., macrophages carrying markers of of classical [M1] or alternative activation [M2]). The latter are shaped by immune- and stromal cell-derived cytokines (e.g., IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-10, TGF-β), micro milieu factors (e.g., hypoxia, tonicity, amino acid availability), host cell-derived enzymes, secretory products and metabolites (e.g., heme oxygenase-1, arginase 1, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, NOS2/NO, NOX2/ROS, lipids) as well as by parasite products (e.g., leishmanolysin/gp63, lipophosphoglycan). Exciting avenues of current research address the transcriptional, epigenetic and translational reprogramming of macrophages in a Leishmania species- and tissue context-dependent manner.

Nanoparticles Formulations of Artemisinin and Derivatives as Potential Therapeutics for the Treatment of Cancer, Leishmaniasis and Malaria

Cancer, malaria, and leishmaniasis remain the deadly diseases around the world although several strategies of treatment have been developed. However, most of the drugs used to treat the aforementioned diseases suffer from several pharmacological limitations such as poor pharmacokinetics, toxicity, drug resistance, poor bioavailability and water solubility. Artemisinin and its derivatives are antimalarial drugs. However, they also exhibit anticancer and antileishmanial activity. They have been evaluated as potential anticancer and antileishmanial drugs but their use is also limited by their poor water solubility and poor bioavailability. To overcome the aforementioned limitations associated with artemisinin and its derivatives used for the treatment of these diseases, they have been incorporated into nanoparticles. Several researchers incorporated this class of drugs into nanoparticles resulting in enhanced therapeutic outcomes. Their potential efficacy for the treatment of parasitic infections such as malaria and leishmaniasis and chronic diseases such as cancer has been reported. This review article will be focused on the nanoparticles formulations of artemisinin and derivatives for the treatment of cancer, malaria, and leishmaniasis and the biological outcomes (in vitro and in vivo).

The macrophage microtubule network acts as a key cellular controller of the intracellular fate of Leishmania infantum

The parasitophorous vacuoles (PVs) that insulate Leishmania spp. in host macrophages are vacuolar compartments wherein promastigote forms differentiate into amastigote that are the replicative form of the parasite and are also more resistant to host responses. We revisited the biogenesis of tight-fitting PVs that insulate L. infantum in promastigote-infected macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells by time-dependent confocal laser multidimensional imaging analysis. Pharmacological disassembly of the cellular microtubule network and silencing of the dynein gene led to an impaired interaction of L. infantum-containing phagosomes with late endosomes and lysosomes, resulting in the tight-fitting parasite-containing phagosomes never transforming into mature PVs. Analysis of the shape of the L. infantum parasite within PVs, showed that factors that impair promastigote-amastigote differentiation can also result in PVs whose maturation is arrested. These findings highlight the importance of the MT-dependent interaction of L. infantum-containing phagosomes with the host macrophage endolysosomal pathway to secure the intracellular fate of the parasite.

Kinetoplastid parasites of the genus Leishmania are responsible for a diverse spectrum of mammalian infectious diseases, the leishmaniases, including cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and mucosal pathologies. Infectious metacyclic promastigotes of infected female Phlebotomus sandflies are injected into the host at the site of the bite during the sandfly blood meal, after which they are internalized by host professional phagocytic neutrophils and macrophages. Leishmania infantum is an etiological agent of potentially fatal visceral pathology. This study molecularly dissects the maturation of L. infantum-containing phagosomes/parasitophorous vacuoles (PVs) in host macrophages. We reveal the requirement of vacuolar movement along macrophage microtubule tracks for the phagosome trafficking toward the endolysosomal pathway necessary for the development of the mature tight-fitting PV crucial for L. infantum survival and proliferation.

Leishmanicidal Potential of Hardwickiic Acid Isolated From Croton sylvaticus

Leishmania is a parasitic protozoon responsible for the neglected tropical disease Leishmaniasis. Approximately, 350 million people are susceptible and close to 70,000 death cases globally are reported annually. The lack of effective leishmanicides, the emergence of drug resistance and toxicity concerns necessitate the pursuit for effective antileishmanial drugs. Natural compounds serve as reservoirs for discovering new drugs due to their chemical diversity. Hardwickiic acid (HA) isolated from the stembark of Croton sylvaticus was evaluated for its leishmanicidal potential against Leishmania donovani and L. major promastigotes. The susceptibility of the promastigotes to HA was determined using the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide/phenazine methosulfate colorimetric assay with Amphotericin B serving as positive control. HA showed a significant antileishmanial activity on L. donovani promastigotes with an IC₅₀ value of 31.57± 0.06 µM with respect to the control drug, amphotericin B with IC₅₀ of 3.35 ± 0.14 µM). The cytotoxic activity was observed to be CC₅₀ = 247.83 ± 6.32 µM against 29.99 ± 2.82 µM for curcumin, the control, resulting in a selectivity index of SI = 7.85. Molecular modeling, docking and dynamics simulations of selected drug targets corroborated the observed antileishmanial activity of HA. Novel insights into the mechanisms of binding were obtained for trypanothione reductase (TR), pteridine reductase 1 (PTR1), and glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL). The binding affinity of HA to the drug targets LmGCL, LmPTR1, LdTR, LmTR, LdGCL, and LdPTR1 were obtained as -8.0, -7.8, -7.6, -7.5, -7.4 and -7.1 kcal/mol, respectively. The role of Lys16, Ser111, and Arg17 as critical residues required for binding to LdPTR1 was reinforced. HA was predicted as a Caspase-3 stimulant and Caspase-8 stimulant, implying a possible role in apoptosis, which was shown experimentally that HA induced parasite death by loss of membrane integrity. HA was also predicted as antileishmanial molecule corroborating the experimental activity. Therefore, HA is a promising antileishmanial molecule worthy of further development as a biotherapeutic agent.

Key role of the macrophage microtubule network in the intracellular lifestyle of Leishmania amazonensis

We conducted a study to decipher the mechanism of the formation of the large communal Leishmania amazonensis-containing parasitophorous vacuole (PV) and found that the macrophage microtubule (MT) network dynamically orchestrates the intracellular lifestyle of this intracellular parasite. Physical disassembly of the MT network of macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells or silencing of the dynein gene, encoding the MT-associated molecular motor that powers MT-dependent vacuolar movement, by siRNA resulted in most of the infected cells hosting only tight parasite-containing phagosome-like vacuoles randomly distributed throughout the cytoplasm, each insulating a single parasite. Only a minority of the infected cells hosted both isolated parasite-containing phagosome-like vacuoles and a small communal PV, insulating a maximum of two to three parasites. The tight parasite-containing phagosome-like vacuoles never matured, whereas the small PVs only matured to a small degree, shown by the absence or faint acquisition of host-cell endolysosomal characteristics. As a consequence, the parasites were unable to successfully complete promastigote-to-amastigote differentiation and died, regardless of the type of insulation.

Outwitting an Old Neglected Nemesis: A Review on Leveraging Integrated Data-Driven Approaches to Aid in Unraveling of Leishmanicides of Therapeutic Potential

The global prevalence of leishmaniasis has increased with skyrocketed mortality in the past decade. The causative agent of leishmaniasis is Leishmania species, which infects populations in almost all the continents. Prevailing treatment regimens are consistently inefficient with reported side effects, toxicity and drug resistance. This review complements existing ones by discussing the current state of treatment options, therapeutic bottlenecks including chemoresistance and toxicity, as well as drug targets. It further highlights innovative applications of nanotherapeutics-based formulations, inhibitory potential of leishmanicides, anti-microbial peptides and organometallic compounds on leishmanial species. Moreover, it provides essential insights into recent machine learning-based models that have been used to predict novel leishmanicides and also discusses other new models that could be adopted to develop fast, efficient, robust and novel algorithms to aid in unraveling the next generation of anti-leishmanial drugs. A plethora of enriched functional genomic, proteomic, structural biology, high throughput bioassay and drug-related datasets are currently warehoused in both general and leishmania-specific databases. The warehoused datasets are essential inputs for training and testing algorithms to augment the prediction of biotherapeutic entities. In addition, we demonstrate how pharmacoinformatics techniques including ligand-, structure- and pharmacophore-based virtual screening approaches have been utilized to screen ligand libraries against both modeled and experimentally solved 3D structures of essential drug targets. In the era of data-driven decision-making, we believe that highlighting intricately linked topical issues relevant to leishmanial drug discovery offers a one-stop-shop opportunity to decipher critical literature with the potential to unlock implicit breakthroughs.

Oral treatment with T6-loaded yeast cell wall particles reduces the parasitemia in murine visceral leishmaniasis model

Yeast cell wall particles isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (scYCWPs) have a rich constitution of β-glucan derived from the cell wall. After removing intracellular contents, β-glucan molecules are readily recognized by dectin-1 receptors, present on the cytoplasmic membrane surface of the mononuclear phagocytic cells and internalized. Leishmania spp. are obligate intracellular parasites; macrophages are its primary host cells. An experimental murine model of visceral leishmaniasis caused by L. infantum was used to evaluate the antileishmanial activity of oral administration of these particles. A low-water soluble thiophene previously studied in vitro against L. infantum was entrapped into scYCWPs to direct it into the host cell, in order to circumvent the typical pharmacokinetic problems of water-insoluble compounds. We found that scYCWPs + T6 reduced the parasitic burden in the liver and spleen. There was an increase in IFN-γ levels related to nitric oxide production, explaining the reduction of the L. infantum burden in the tissue. Histological analysis did not show signals of tissue inflammation and biochemical analysis from plasma did not indicate signals of cytotoxicity after scYCWPs + T6 treatment. These findings suggested that scYCWPs + T6 administered through oral route reduced the parasitic burden without causing toxic effects, satisfying requirements for development of new strategies to treat leishmaniasis.

Tandem Mass Tag Proteomic Analysis of in Vitro and in Vivo Models of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Reveals Parasite-Specific and Nonspecific Modulation of Proteins in the Host

Cutaneous leishmaniasis, the most common form of leishmaniasis, is endemic in several regions of the world, and if not treated properly, it can cause disfiguring scars on the skin. Leishmania spp. infection causes an inflammatory response in its host, and it modulates the host metabolism differently depending on the Leishmania species. Since Leishmania spp. has begun to develop resistance against current therapies, we believe efforts to identify new possibilities for treatment are critical for future control of the disease. Proteomics approaches such as isobaric labeling yield accurate relative quantification of protein abundances and, when combined with chemometrics/statistical analysis, provide robust information about protein modulation across biological conditions. Using a mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach and tandem mass tag labeling, we have investigated protein modulation in murine macrophages (in vitro model) and skin biopsies after exposure to Leishmania spp. (in vivo murine model). Infections induced by L. amazonensis (endemic in the New World) and L. major (endemic in the Old World) were compared to an inflammation model to search for Leishmania-specific and nonspecific protein modulation in the host. After protein extracts obtained from in vitro and in vivo experiments were digested, the resulting peptides were labeled with isobaric tags and analyzed by liquid chromatography-MS (LC-MS). Several proteins that were found to be changed upon infection with Leishmania spp. provide interesting candidates for further investigation into disease mechanism and development of possible immunotherapies.

Protective or Detrimental? Understanding the Role of Host Immunity in Leishmaniasis

The intracellular protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania are the causative agents of leishmaniasis, a vector-borne disease of major public health concern, estimated to affect 12 million people worldwide. The clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis are highly variable and can range from self-healing localized cutaneous lesions to life-threatening disseminated visceral disease. Once introduced into the skin by infected sandflies, Leishmania parasites interact with a variety of immune cells, such as neutrophils, monocytes, dendritic cells (DCs), and macrophages. The resolution of infection requires a finely tuned interplay between innate and adaptive immune cells, culminating with the activation of microbicidal functions and parasite clearance within host cells. However, several factors derived from the host, insect vector, and Leishmania spp., including the presence of a double-stranded RNA virus (LRV), can modulate the host immunity and influence the disease outcome. In this review, we discuss the immune mechanisms underlying the main forms of leishmaniasis, some of the factors involved with the establishment of infection and disease severity, and potential approaches for vaccine and drug development focused on host immunity.

Repeated intravenous injection of adipose tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells enhances Th1 immune responses in Leishmania major-infected BALB/c mice

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) therapy are among new strategies that are used to combat infections through immunomodulation. Cell number, route and frequency of injection and the duration of exposure to the infectious agent are of the main factors to determine the effectiveness of cell therapy. The current study was aimed to assess the effect of multiple intravenous (i.v.) injection of adipose tissue derived (AD)-MSCs on immune response of Leishmania (L.) major-infected BALB/c mice. Therefore, infected mice received AD-MSCs four times during the early phase of infection through i.v. route. They were then monitored weekly for footpad swelling and lesion development. Parasite burden, nitric oxide (NO) and cytokine production were measured in the spleen and lymph node 90 days post-infection. Delayed lesion development, significant reduction in footpad swelling and lower parasite burden in the spleen of AD-MSCs-treated mice showed the relative effect of AD-MSCs therapy in the control of L. major dissemination. In addition, MSCs were able to manage direct cytokine responses toward T-helper 1 (Th1). Although the level of interleukin (IL)-10 was still higher than the associated level of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, a shift towards higher level of TNF-α was also observed.

Structure, regulation, and (patho-)physiological functions of the stress-induced protein kinase CK1 delta (CSNK1D)

Members of the highly conserved pleiotropic CK1 family of serine/threonine-specific kinases are tightly regulated in the cell and play crucial regulatory roles in multiple cellular processes from protozoa to human. Since their dysregulation as well as mutations within their coding regions contribute to the development of various different pathologies, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, they have become interesting new drug targets within the last decade. However, to develop optimized CK1 isoform-specific therapeutics in personalized therapy concepts, a detailed knowledge of the regulation and functions of the different CK1 isoforms, their various splice variants and orthologs is mandatory. In this review we will focus on the stress-induced CK1 isoform delta (CK1δ), thereby addressing its regulation, physiological functions, the consequences of its deregulation for the development and progression of diseases, and its potential as therapeutic drug target.

Effect of isoxazole derivatives of tetrahydrofuran neolignans on intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis: A structure-activity relationship comparative study with triazole-neolignan-based compounds

Isoxazole analogues derived from the neolignans veraguensin, grandisin, and machilin G were previously synthesized with different substitution patterns through the bioisosterism strategy. These compounds were tested on intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis; the derivatives proved to be active against intracellular amastigotes, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.4 to 25 μM. The most active analogues were 4', 14', 15', and 18', with IC₅₀ values of 0.9, 0.4, 0.7, and 1.4 μM, respectively, showing high selectivity indexes (SI = 277.0; 625.0; 178.5 and 357.1). Overall, the isoxazole analogues did not induce nitric oxide (NO) production by infected cells; there was no evidence that NO influences the antileishmanial mechanism of action, except for compound 4'. Trimethoxy groups as substituents seemed to be critical for antileishmanial activity. The SAR study demonstrated that the isoxazole compounds were more active than 1,2,3-triazole compounds with the same substitution pattterns, demonstrating the importance of the bioisosterism strategy in drug design.

Disrupting the Code: Epigenetic Dysregulation of Lymphocyte Function during Infectious Disease and Lymphoma Development

Lymphocyte differentiation and identity are controlled by signals in the microenvironment that ultimately mediate gene expression in the nucleus. Although much focus has centered on the strategic and often unique roles transcription factors play within lymphocyte subsets, it is increasingly clear that another level of molecular regulation is crucial for regulating gene expression programs. In particular, epigenetic regulation is critical for appropriately regulated temporal and cell-type-specific gene expression during immune responses. As such, mutations in epigenetic modifiers are linked with lymphomagenesis. Furthermore, certain infections can remodel the epigenome in host cells, either through the microenvironment or by directly co-opting host epigenetic mechanisms, leading to inappropriate gene expression and/or ineffective cellular behavior. This review will focus on how histone modifications and DNA methylation, and the enzymes that regulate the epigenome, underpin lymphocyte differentiation and function in health and disease.

Envisioning the innovations in nanomedicine to combat visceral leishmaniasis: for future theranostic application

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a life-threatening parasitic disease affecting impoverished people of the developing world; and much effort has been spent on the early case detection and treatment. However, current diagnostics and treatment options are not sufficient for appropriate surveillance in VL elimination setting. Hence, there is a dire need to develop highly sensitive diagnostics and less toxic effective treatments for proper management of cases and to achieve the sustained disease elimination. Although, promising results have been observed with nanomedicines in leishmaniasis; there are great challenges ahead especially in translating this to clinical setting. This review provides updated progress of nanomedicines in VL, and discussed how these innovations and future directions play vital role in achieving VL elimination.

Route map for the discovery and pre-clinical development of new drugs and treatments for cutaneous leishmaniasis

Although there have been significant advances in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and several novel compounds are currently in pre-clinical and clinical development for this manifestation of leishmaniasis, there have been limited advances in drug research and development (R & D) for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Here we review the need for new treatments for CL, describe in vitro and in vivo assays, models and approaches taken over the past decade to establish a pathway for the discovery, and pre-clinical development of new drugs for CL. These recent advances include novel mouse models of infection using bioluminescent Leishmania, the introduction of PK/PD approaches to skin infection, and defined pre-clinical candidate profiles.

Next-Generation Phenotypic Screening in Early Drug Discovery for Infectious Diseases

Cell-based phenotypic screening has proven to be valuable, notably in recapitulating relevant biological conditions, for example, the host cell/pathogen niche. However, the corresponding methodological complexity is not readily compatible with high-throughput pipelines, and fails to inform either molecular target or mechanism of action, which frustrates conventional drug-discovery roadmaps. We review the state-of-the-art and emerging technologies that suggest new strategies for harnessing value from the complexity of phenotypic screening and augmenting powerful utility for translational drug discovery. Advances in cellular, molecular, and bioinformatics technologies are converging at a cutting edge where the complexity of phenotypic screening may no longer be considered a hinderance but rather a catalyst to chemotherapeutic discovery for infectious diseases.

GDP-Mannose Pyrophosphorylase: A Biologically Validated Target for Drug Development Against Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniases are neglected tropical diseases that threaten about 350 million people in 98 countries around the world. In order to find new antileishmanial drugs, an original approach consists in reducing the pathogenic effect of the parasite by impairing the glycoconjugate biosynthesis, necessary for parasite recognition and internalization by the macrophage. Some proteins appear to be critical in this way, and one of them, the GDP-Mannose Pyrophosphorylase (GDP-MP), is an attractive target for the design of specific inhibitors as it is essential for Leishmania survival and it presents significant differences with the host counterpart. Two GDP-MP inhibitors, compounds A and B, have been identified in two distinct studies by high throughput screening and by a rational approach based on molecular modeling, respectively. Compound B was found to be the most promising as it exhibited specific competitive inhibition of leishmanial GDP-MP and antileishmanial activities at the micromolar range with interesting selectivity indexes, as opposed to compound A. Therefore, compound B can be used as a pharmacological tool for the development of new specific antileishmanial drugs.

Virulence factor RNA transcript expression in the Leishmania Viannia subgenus: influence of species, isolate source, and Leishmania RNA virus-1

BACKGROUND

Leishmania RNA virus-1 (LRV1) is a double-stranded RNA virus identified in 20-25% of Viannia-species endemic to Latin America, and is believed to accelerate cutaneous to mucosal leishmaniasis over time. Our objective was to quantify known virulence factor (VF) RNA transcript expression according to LRV1 status, causative species, and isolate source.

METHODS

Eight cultured isolates of Leishmania were used, four of which were LRV1-positive (Leishmania Viannia braziliensis [n = 1], L. (V.) guyanensis [n = 1], L. (V.) panamensis [n = 2]), and four were LRV1-negative (L. (V.) panamensis [n = 3], L. (V.) braziliensis [n = 1]). Promastigotes were inoculated into macrophage cultures, and harvested at 24 and 48 h. RNA transcript expression of hsp23, hsp70, hsp90, hsp100, mpi, cpb, and gp63 were quantified by qPCR.

RESULTS

RNA transcript expression of hsp100 (p = 0.012), cpb (p = 0.016), and mpi (p = 0.022) showed significant increases from baseline pure culture expression to 24- and 48-h post-macrophage infection, whereas hsp70 (p = 0.004) was significantly decreased. A trend toward increased transcript expression of hsp100 at baseline in isolates of L. (V.) panamensis was noted. Pooled VF RNA transcript expression by L. (V.) panamensis isolates was lower than that of L. (V.) braziliensis and L. (V.) guyananesis at 24 h (p = 0.03). VF RNA transcript expression did not differ by LRV1 status, or source of cultured isolate at baseline, 24, or 48 h; however, a trend toward increased VF RNA transcript expression of 2.71- and 1.93-fold change of mpi (p = 0.11) and hsp90 (p = 0.11), respectively, in LRV1 negative isolates was noted. Similarly, a trend toward lower levels of overall VF RNA transcript expression in clinical isolates (1.15-fold change) compared to ATCC® strains at 24 h was noted (p = 0.07).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that known VF RNA transcript expression may be affected by the process of macrophage infection. We were unable to demonstrate definitively that LRV-1 presence affected VF RNA transcript expression in the species and isolates studied. L. (V.) guyanensis and L. (V.) braziliensis demonstrated higher pooled VF RNA transcript expression than L. (V.) panamensis; however, further analyses of protein expression to corroborate this finding are warranted.

Leishmania-Host Interactions-An Epigenetic Paradigm

Leishmaniasis is one of the major neglected tropical diseases, for which no vaccines exist. Chemotherapy is hampered by limited efficacy coupled with development of resistance and other side effects. Leishmania parasites elude the host defensive mechanisms by modulating their surface proteins as well as dampening the host's immune responses. The parasites use the conventional RNA polymerases peculiarly under different environmental cues or pressures such as the host's milieu or the drugs. The mechanisms that restructure post-translational modifications are poorly understood but altered epigenetic histone modifications are believed to be instrumental in influencing the chromatin remodeling in the parasite. Interestingly, the parasite also modulates gene expression of the hosts, thereby hijacking or dampening the host immune response. Epigenetic factor such as DNA methylation of cytosine residues has been incriminated in silencing of macrophage-specific genes responsible for defense against these parasites. Although there is dearth of information regarding the epigenetic alterations-mediated pathogenesis in these parasites and the host, the unique epigenetic marks may represent targets for potential anti-leishmanial drug candidates. This review circumscribes the epigenetic changes during Leishmania infection, and the epigenetic modifications they enforce upon the host cells to ensure a safe haven. The non-coding micro RNAs as post-transcriptional regulators and correlates of wound healing and toll-like receptor signaling, as well as prognostic biomarkers of therapeutic failure and healing time are also explored. Finally, we highlight the recent advances on how the epigenetic perturbations may impact leishmaniasis vaccine development as biomarkers of safety and immunogenicity.

Design and synthesis of multivalent α-1,2-trimannose-linked bioerodible microparticles for applications in immune response studies of Leishmania major infection

Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease, currently infects approximately 12 million people worldwide with 1 to 2 million new cases each year in predominately underdeveloped countries. The treatment of the disease is severely underdeveloped due to the ability of the Leishmania pathogen to evade and abate immune responses. In an effort to develop anti-leishmaniasis vaccines and adjuvants, novel carbohydrate-based probes were made to study the mechanisms of immune modulation. In this study, a new bioerodible polyanhydride microparticle was designed and conjugated with a glycodendrimer molecular probe. This molecular probe incorporates a pathogen-like multivalent display of α-1,2-trimannose, for which a more efficient synthesis was designed, with a tethered fluorophore. Further attachment of the glycodendrimer to a biocompatible, surface eroding microparticle allows for targeted uptake and internalization of the pathogen-associated oligosaccharide by phagocytic immune cells. The α-1,2-trimannose-linked bioerodible microparticles were found to be safe after administration into the footpad of mice and demonstrated a similar response to α-1,2-trimannose-coated latex beads during L. major footpad infection. Furthermore, the bioerodible microparticles allowed for investigation of the role of pathogen-associated oligosaccharides for recognition by pathogen-recognition receptors during L. major-induced leishmaniasis.

Model-based Evaluation of Gene Expression Changes in Response to Leishmania Infection

Since the development of high-density microarray technology in the late 1990s, global host gene expression changes in response to various stimuli have been extensively studied. More than a dozen peer-reviewed publications have investigated the effect of Leishmania infection in various models since 2001. This review covers the transcriptional changes in macrophage models induced by various Leishmania species and summarizes the resulting impact these studies have on our understanding of the host response to leishmaniasis in vitro. Characterization of the similarities and differences between various model systems will not only further our understanding of Leishmania-induced changes to macrophage gene expression but also identify potential therapeutic targets in the future.

Discovery of novel hit compounds with broad activity against visceral and cutaneous Leishmania species by comparative phenotypic screening

The limited success of recent phenotypic anti-leishmanial drug screening campaigns calls for new screening strategies for the discovery of clinically relevant hits. Here we present such a novel strategy based on physiologically relevant, ex vivo biology. We established high content phenotypic assays that combine primary murine macrophages and lesion-derived, virulent L. donovani and L. amazonensis amastigotes, which we applied to validate previously identified, anti-leishmanial hit compounds referred to as ‘GSK Leish-Box’. Together with secondary screens using cultured promastigotes, our pipeline distinguished stage- and/or species-specific compounds, including 20 hits with broad activity at 10 µM against intracellular amastigotes of both viscerotropic and dermotropic Leishmania. Even though the GSK Leish-Box hits were identified by phenotypic screening using THP-1 macrophage-like cells hosting culture-derived L. donovani LdBob parasites, our ex vivo assays only validated anti-leishmanial activity at 10 µM on intra-macrophagic L. donovani for 23 out of the 188 GSK Leish-Box hits. In conclusion, our comparative approach allowed the identification of hits with broad anti-leishmanial activity that represent interesting novel candidates to be tested in animal models. Physiologically more relevant screening approaches such as described here may reduce the very high attrition rate observed during pre-clinical and clinical phases of the drug development process.

The LPG1x family from Leishmania major is constituted of rare eukaryotic galactofuranosyltransferases with unprecedented catalytic properties

Galactofuranosyltransferases are poorly described enzymes despite their crucial role in the virulence and the pathogenicity of numerous microorganisms. These enzymes are considered as potential targets for therapeutic action. In addition to the only well-characterised prokaryotic GlfT2 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, four putative genes in Leishmania major were previously described as potential galactofuranosyltransferases. In this study, we have cloned, over-expressed, purified and fully determined the kinetic parameters of these four eukaryotic enzymes, thus demonstrating their unique potency in catalysing the transfer of the galactofuranosyl moiety into acceptors. Their individual promiscuity revealed to be different, as some of them could efficiently use NDP-pyranoses as donor substrates in addition to the natural UDP-galactofuranose. Such results pave the way for the development of chemoenzymatic synthesis of furanosyl-containing glycoconjugates as well as the design of improved drugs against leishmaniasis.

Host-Directed Drug Therapies for Neglected Tropical Diseases Caused by Protozoan Parasites

The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) caused by protozoan parasites are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Current treatments using anti-parasitic drugs are toxic and prolonged with poor patient compliance. In addition, emergence of drug-resistant parasites is increasing worldwide. Hence, there is a need for safer and better therapeutics for these infections. Host-directed therapy using drugs that target host pathways required for pathogen survival or its clearance is a promising approach for treating infections. This review will give a summary of the current status and advances of host-targeted therapies for treating NTDs caused by protozoa.