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Sahoo P, Pathak NK, Scott Bohle D, Dodd EL, Tripathy U. Hematin anhydride (β-hematin): An analogue to malaria pigment hemozoin possesses nonlinearity. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2024; 310:123902. [PMID: 38281463 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2024.123902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Hematin anhydride (β-hematin), the synthetic analogue of the malaria pigment, "hemozoin", is a heme dimer produced by reciprocal covalent bonds among carboxylic acid groups on the protoporphyrin-IX ring and the iron atom present in the two adjacent heme molecules. Hemozoin is a disposal product formed from the digestion of hemoglobin present in the red blood cells infected with hematophagous malaria parasites. Besides, as the parasites invade red blood cells, hemozoin crystals are eventually released into the bloodstream, where they accumulate over time in tissues. Severe malaria infection leads to significant dysfunction in vital organs such as the liver, spleen, and brain in part due to the autoimmune response to the excessive accumulation of hemozoin in these tissues. Also, the amount of these crystals in the vasculature correlates with disease progression. Thus, hemozoin is a unique indicator of infection used as a malaria biomarker and hence, used as a target for the development of antimalarial drugs. Hence, exploring various properties of hemozoin is extremely useful in the direction of diagnosis and cure. The present study focuses on finding one of the unknown properties of β-hematin in physiological conditions by using the Z-scan technique, which is simple, sensitive, and economical. It is observed that hemozoin possesses one of the unique material properties, i.e., nonlinearity with a detection limit of ∼ 15 µM. The self-defocusing action causes β-hematin to exhibit negative refractive nonlinearity. The observed data is analyzed with a thermal lensing model. We strongly believe that our simple and reliable approach to probing the nonlinearity of β-hematin will provide fresh opportunities for malaria diagnostics & cure in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyadarshi Sahoo
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad 826004, Jharkhand, India
| | - Nitesh Kumar Pathak
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad 826004, Jharkhand, India
| | - D Scott Bohle
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal H3A 0B8, Quebec, Canada
| | - Erin L Dodd
- Département de Chimie, Université du Québec à Montréal, 2101, rue Jeanne-Mance Montréal, H2X 2J6 Québec, Canada
| | - Umakanta Tripathy
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad 826004, Jharkhand, India.
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Tembo D, Harawa V, Tran TC, Afran L, Molyneux ME, Taylor TE, Seydel KB, Nyirenda T, Russell DG, Mandala W. The ability of Interleukin-10 to negate haemozoin-related pro-inflammatory effects has the potential to restore impaired macrophage function associated with malaria infection. Malar J 2023; 22:125. [PMID: 37060041 PMCID: PMC10103463 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04539-w] [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: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although pro-inflammatory cytokines are involved in the clearance of Plasmodium falciparum during the early stages of the infection, increased levels of these cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of severe malaria. Amongst various parasite-derived inducers of inflammation, the malarial pigment haemozoin (Hz), which accumulates in monocytes, macrophages and other immune cells during infection, has been shown to significantly contribute to dysregulation of the normal inflammatory cascades. METHODS The direct effect of Hz-loading on cytokine production by monocytes and the indirect effect of Hz on cytokine production by myeloid cells was investigated during acute malaria and convalescence using archived plasma samples from studies investigating P. falciparum malaria pathogenesis in Malawian subjects. Further, the possible inhibitory effect of IL-10 on Hz-loaded cells was examined, and the proportion of cytokine-producing T-cells and monocytes during acute malaria and in convalescence was characterized. RESULTS Hz contributed towards an increase in the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as Interferon Gamma (IFN-γ), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) and Interleukin 2 (IL-2) by various cells. In contrast, the cytokine IL-10 was observed to have a dose-dependent suppressive effect on the production of TNF among other cytokines. Cerebral malaria (CM) was characterized by impaired monocyte functions, which normalized in convalescence. CM was also characterized by reduced levels of IFN-γ-producing T cell subsets, and reduced expression of immune recognition receptors HLA-DR and CD 86, which also normalized in convalescence. However, CM and other clinical malaria groups were characterized by significantly higher plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines than healthy controls, implicating anti-inflammatory cytokines in balancing the immune response. CONCLUSIONS Acute CM was characterized by elevated plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines but lower proportions of cytokine-producing T-cells and monocytes that normalize during convalescence. IL-10 is also shown to have the potential to indirectly prevent excessive inflammation. Cytokine production dysregulated by the accumulation of Hz appears to impair the balance of the immune response to malaria and exacerbates pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dumizulu Tembo
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi.
| | - Visopo Harawa
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Tam C Tran
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Louise Afran
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
- University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
- Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Malcolm E Molyneux
- Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
- University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Terrie E Taylor
- Blantyre Malaria Project, Blantyre, Malawi
- Michigan State University, Michigan, USA
| | - Karl B Seydel
- Blantyre Malaria Project, Blantyre, Malawi
- Michigan State University, Michigan, USA
| | | | - David G Russell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Wilson Mandala
- Acadamey of Medical Sciences, Malawi University of Science and Technology, Blantyre, Malawi.
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Wang B, Li Q, Wang J, Zhao S, Nashun B, Qin L, Chen X. Plasmodium infection inhibits tumor angiogenesis through effects on tumor-associated macrophages in a murine implanted hepatoma model. Cell Commun Signal 2020; 18:157. [PMID: 32972437 PMCID: PMC7513281 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-020-00570-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in China. The lack of an effective treatment for this disease results in a high recurrence rate in patients who undergo radical tumor resection, and the 5-year survival rate of these patients remains low. Our previous studies demonstrated that Plasmodium infection provides a potent antitumor effect by inducing innate and adaptive immunity in a murine Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) model. Methods This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of Plasmodium infection on hepatocellular carcinoma in mice, and various techniques for gene expression analysis were used to identify possible signal regulation mechanisms. Results We found that Plasmodium infection efficiently inhibited tumor progression and prolonged survival in tumor-bearing mice, which served as a murine implanted hepatoma model. The inhibition of tumor progression by Plasmodium infection was related to suppression of tumor angiogenesis within the tumor tissue and decreased infiltration of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Further study demonstrated that matrix metalloprotease 9 (MMP-9) produced by TAMs contributed to tumor angiogenesis in the tumor tissue and that the parasite-induced reduction in MMP-9 expression in TAMs resulted in the suppression of tumor angiogenesis. A mechanistic study revealed that the Plasmodium-derived hemozoin (HZ) that accumulated in TAMs inhibited IGF-1 signaling through the PI3-K and MAPK signaling pathways and thereby decreased the expression of MMP-9 in TAMs. Conclusions Our study suggests that this novel approach of inhibiting tumor angiogenesis by Plasmodium infection is of high importance for the development of new therapies for cancer patients. Video abstract
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Affiliation(s)
- Benfan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Center of Infection and Immunity, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.,School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Qinyan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Center of Infection and Immunity, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Jinyan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Center of Infection and Immunity, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Siting Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Center of Infection and Immunity, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.,CAS-Lamvac Biotech Co., Ltd, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Bayaer Nashun
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Center of Infection and Immunity, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China
| | - Li Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Center of Infection and Immunity, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China. .,CAS-Lamvac Biotech Co., Ltd, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
| | - Xiaoping Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Center of Infection and Immunity, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China. .,CAS-Lamvac Biotech Co., Ltd, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
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Obisesan OR, Adekunle AS, Oyekunle JAO, Sabu T, Nkambule TTI, Mamba BB. Development of Electrochemical Nanosensor for the Detection of Malaria Parasite in Clinical Samples. Front Chem 2019; 7:89. [PMID: 30859097 PMCID: PMC6397833 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2019.00089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, electrochemical nanosensors were developed from the synthesized metal oxide (MO) nanoparticles by supporting it on a gold electrode (Au). The activity of the developed nanosensor toward the detection of malaria biomarker (β-hematin) was determined and the optimum conditions at which the maximum detection and quantification occurred were established. β-Hematin current response at the sensors was higher when compared with the bare Au electrode and followed the order Au-CuO (C) > Au-CuO (M) > Au-Fe2O3 (M) > Au-Fe2O3 (C) > Au-Al2O3 (M) > Au-Al2O3 (C) > bare Au. The developed sensors were stable with a relatively low current drop (10.61-17.35 %) in the analyte. Au-CuO sensor had the best performance toward the biomarker and quantitatively detected P. berghei in infected mice's serum samples at 3.60-4.8 mM and P. falciparum in human blood serum samples at 0.65-1.35 mM concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olaoluwa R Obisesan
- Department of Chemistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.,International and Inter University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India
| | | | - John A O Oyekunle
- Department of Chemistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
| | - Thomas Sabu
- International and Inter University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India
| | - Thabo T I Nkambule
- Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability Research Unit, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Univeristy of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Bhekie B Mamba
- Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability Research Unit, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Univeristy of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
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GONZÁLEZ-LINARES L, REYES-CRUZ VE, VELOZRODRÍGUEZ MA, URBANO-REYES G, IMBERT-PALAFOX JL, COBOS-MURCIA JA. New Method of Production and Characterization of Haemozoin and B-Haemozoin from Meccus longipennis. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY 2019; 14:59-67. [PMID: 31123469 PMCID: PMC6511604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the significance of hemozoin (Hz) in the process through which Plasmodium is released from the heme group in the food vacuole during hemoglobin degradation, will allow the development of more effective drugs against malaria. Therefore, the development of methodologies to obtain Hz synthetically will facilitate an in vitro evaluation of new anti-malarial drugs. METHODS We present a methodology with good results to obtain Hz from fecal material of blood-sucking insects Meccus longipennis. The preparation of biological cultures of the parasite (Plasmodium) transmitter of the disease is not necessary. RESULTS The hemozoin molecule and its dimer were obtained using the method described and it was possible to validate a comparison with the positive and negative controls using different analytical techniques. CONCLUSION The proposed method allows obtaining hemozoin and its dimer demonstrating equivalence with positive controls that demonstrate that the present procedure may be an alternative for the evaluation of antimalarial drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana GONZÁLEZ-LINARES
- Department of Medicine, School of Biological and Health Sciences, Autonomous University of Hidalgo State, Hidalgo, México
| | - Víctor Esteban REYES-CRUZ
- Department of Materials and Earth Sciences, School of Engineering and Basic Sciences, Autonomous University of Hidalgo State, Hidalgo, México
| | - María Aurora VELOZRODRÍGUEZ
- Department of Materials and Earth Sciences, School of Engineering and Basic Sciences, Autonomous University of Hidalgo State, Hidalgo, México
| | - Gustavo URBANO-REYES
- Department of Materials and Earth Sciences, School of Engineering and Basic Sciences, Autonomous University of Hidalgo State, Hidalgo, México
| | - José Luis IMBERT-PALAFOX
- Department of Medicine, School of Biological and Health Sciences, Autonomous University of Hidalgo State, Hidalgo, México
| | - José Angel COBOS-MURCIA
- Department of Materials and Earth Sciences, School of Engineering and Basic Sciences, Autonomous University of Hidalgo State, Hidalgo, México, Mexican National Council for Science and Technology, México City, México,Correspondence
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Perez-Guaita D, Marzec KM, Hudson A, Evans C, Chernenko T, Matthäus C, Miljkovic M, Diem M, Heraud P, Richards JS, Andrew D, Anderson DA, Doerig C, Garcia-Bustos J, McNaughton D, Wood BR. Parasites under the Spotlight: Applications of Vibrational Spectroscopy to Malaria Research. Chem Rev 2018; 118:5330-5358. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Perez-Guaita
- Centre for Biospectroscopy, School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Katarzyna M. Marzec
- Jagiellonian Centre for Experimental Therapeutics (JCET), Jagiellonian University, Bobrzyńskiego 14, Kraków 30-348, Poland
- Center for Medical Genomics (OMICRON), Jagiellonian University, Kopernika 7C, Krakow 31-034, Poland
| | - Andrew Hudson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
| | - Corey Evans
- Department of Chemistry, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
| | - Tatyana Chernenko
- Becton Dickinson and Company, 2350 Qume Drive, San Jose, California 95131, United States
| | - Christian Matthäus
- Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, Albert Einstein Straße 9, Jena 07745, Germany
- Institute of Physical Chemistry and Abbe School of Photonics, Friedrich Schiller University, Helmholtz Weg 4, Jena 07743, Germany
| | - Milos Miljkovic
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University, 200 Boston Avenue, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, United States
| | - Max Diem
- Laboratory for Spectral Diagnosis (LSpD), Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, 316 Hurtig Hall, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02155, United States
| | - Philip Heraud
- Centre for Biospectroscopy, School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Jack S. Richards
- Centre for Biomedical Research, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia
| | - Dean Andrew
- Centre for Biomedical Research, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia
| | - David A. Anderson
- Centre for Biomedical Research, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia
| | - Christian Doerig
- Department of Microbiology and the Biomedical Discovery Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Jose Garcia-Bustos
- Department of Microbiology and the Biomedical Discovery Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Don McNaughton
- Centre for Biospectroscopy, School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Bayden R. Wood
- Centre for Biospectroscopy, School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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7
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Tempera C, Franco R, Caro C, André V, Eaton P, Burke P, Hänscheid T. Characterization and optimization of the haemozoin-like crystal (HLC) assay to determine Hz inhibiting effects of anti-malarial compounds. Malar J 2015; 14:403. [PMID: 26458401 PMCID: PMC4603294 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-015-0913-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 09/25/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The haem-haemozoin biocrystallization pathway is an attractive target where several efficacious and safe anti-malarial drugs act. Consequently, in vitro haemozoin (Hz) inhibition assays have been developed to identify novel compounds. However, results may differ between assays and often require complex methods or sophisticated infrastructure. The recently reported growth of haemozoin-like crystals (HLC) appears to be a simple alternative although the endproduct is structurally different to Hz. This study set out to characterize this assay in depth, optimize it, and assess its performance. Methods The HLC assay was used as previously described but a range of different growth conditions were examined. Obtained HLCs were investigated and compared to synthetic (sHz) and natural haemozoin (nHz) using scanning electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy (RS). Interactions of HLC with quinolines was analysed using RS. Inhibitory effects of currently used anti-malarial drugs under four final growth conditions were established. Results HLC growth requires Mycoplasma Broth Base, Tween 80, pancreatin, and lysed blood or haemin. HLCs are similar to nHz and sHz in terms of solubility, macroscopic and microscopic appearance although PXRD, FTIR and RS confirm that the haem aggregates of HLCs are structurally different. RS reveals that CQ seems to interact with HLCs in similar ways as with Hz. Inhibition of quinoline drugs ranged from 62.5 µM (chloroquine, amodiaquine, piperaquine) to 500 µM in mefloquine. Conclusions The HLC assay provides data on inhibiting properties of compounds. Even if the end-product is not structurally identical to Hz, the inhibitory effects appear consistent with those obtained with sHz assays, as illustrated by the results obtained for quinolines. The assay is simple, inexpensive, robust, reproducible and can be performed under basic laboratory conditions with a simple visual positive/negative read-out. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-015-0913-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Tempera
- Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Ricardo Franco
- Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Carlos Caro
- Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Vânia André
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Peter Eaton
- , Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, REQUIMTE/UCIBIO, Universidade do Porto, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Peter Burke
- STERIS Corporation, 5960 Heisley Road, Mentor, OH, 44060, USA.
| | - Thomas Hänscheid
- Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal. .,Faculdade de Medicina, Instituto de Microbiologia, Lisbon, Portugal.
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Rebelo M, Tempera C, Bispo C, Andrade C, Gardner R, Shapiro HM, Hänscheid T. Light depolarization measurements in malaria: A new job for an old friend. Cytometry A 2015; 87:437-45. [PMID: 25808846 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.22659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2014] [Revised: 01/28/2015] [Accepted: 02/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The use of flow cytometry in malaria research has increased over the last decade. Most approaches use nucleic acid stains to detect parasite DNA and RNA and require complex multi-color, multi-parameter analysis to reliably detect infected red blood cells (iRBCs). We recently described a novel and simpler approach to parasite detection based on flow cytometric measurement of scattered light depolarization caused by hemozoin (Hz), a pigment formed by parasite digestion of hemoglobin in iRBCs. Depolarization measurement by flow cytometry was described in 1987; however, patent issues restricted its use to a single manufacturer's hematology analyzers until 2009. Although we recently demonstrated that depolarization measurement of Hz, easily implemented on a bench top flow cytometer (Cyflow), provided useful information for malaria work, doubts regarding its application and utility remain in both the flow cytometry and malaria communities, at least in part because instrument manufacturers do not offer the option of measuring depolarized scatter. Under such circumstances, providing other researchers with guidance as to how to do this seemed to offer the most expeditious way to resolve the issue. We accordingly examined how several commercially available flow cytometers (CyFlow SL, MoFLo, Attune and Accuri C6) could be modified to detect depolarization due to the presence of free Hz on solution, or of Hz in leukocytes or erythrocytes from rodent or human blood. All were readily adapted, with substantially equivalent results obtained with lasers emitting over a wide wavelength range. Other instruments now available may also be modifiable for Hz measurement. Cytometric detection of Hz using depolarization is useful to study different aspects of malaria. Adding additional parameters, such as DNA content and base composition and RNA content, can demonstrably provide improved accuracy and sensitivity of parasite detection and characterization, allowing malaria researchers and eventually clinicians to benefit from cytometric technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Rebelo
- Molecular Microbiology and Infection Unit, Instituto De Medicina Molecular, Faculdade De Medicina, Lisbon, Portugal
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Carrasco MP, Newton AS, Gonçalves L, Góis A, Machado M, Gut J, Nogueira F, Hänscheid T, Guedes RC, dos Santos DJVA, Rosenthal PJ, Moreira R. Probing the aurone scaffold against Plasmodium falciparum: design, synthesis and antimalarial activity. Eur J Med Chem 2014; 80:523-34. [PMID: 24813880 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2014.04.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2013] [Revised: 04/24/2014] [Accepted: 04/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A library comprising 44 diversely substituted aurones derivatives was synthesized by straightforward aldol condensation reactions of benzofuranones and the appropriately substituted benzaldehydes. Microwave enhanced synthesis using palladium catalyzed protocols was introduced as a powerful strategy for extending the chemical space around the aurone scaffold. Additionally, Mannich-base derivatives, containing a 7-aminomethyl-6-hydroxy substitution pattern at ring A, were also prepared. Screening against the chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum W2 strain identified novel aurones with IC50 values in the low micromolar range. The most potent compounds contained a basic moiety, with the ability to accumulate in acidic digestive vacuole of the malaria parasite. However, none of those aurones revealed significant activity against hemozoin formation and falcipain-2, two validated targets expressed during the blood stage of P. falciparum infection and functional in digestive vacuole of the parasite. Overall, this study highlight (i) the usefulness of aurones as platforms for synthetic procedures using palladium catalyzed protocols to rapidly deliver lead compounds for further optimization and (ii) the potential of novel aurone derivatives as promising antimalarial compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta P Carrasco
- Instituto de Investigação do Medicamento (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana S Newton
- Instituto de Investigação do Medicamento (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Lídia Gonçalves
- Instituto de Investigação do Medicamento (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Góis
- Unidade de Microbiologia Molecular e Infecção, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Marta Machado
- Centro de Malária e outras Doenças Tropicais, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Jiri Gut
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0811, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Fátima Nogueira
- Centro de Malária e outras Doenças Tropicais, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Thomas Hänscheid
- Unidade de Microbiologia Molecular e Infecção, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rita C Guedes
- Instituto de Investigação do Medicamento (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Daniel J V A dos Santos
- Instituto de Investigação do Medicamento (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Philip J Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0811, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Rui Moreira
- Instituto de Investigação do Medicamento (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Gama Pinto 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal.
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Boura M, Frita R, Góis A, Carvalho T, Hänscheid T. The hemozoin conundrum: is malaria pigment immune-activating, inhibiting, or simply a bystander? Trends Parasitol 2013; 29:469-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2013.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2013] [Revised: 07/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Ressurreição AS, Gonçalves D, Sitoe AR, Albuquerque IS, Gut J, Góis A, Gonçalves LM, Bronze MR, Hanscheid T, Biagini GA, Rosenthal PJ, Prudêncio M, O'Neill P, Mota MM, Lopes F, Moreira R. Structural optimization of quinolon-4(1H)-imines as dual-stage antimalarials: toward increased potency and metabolic stability. J Med Chem 2013; 56:7679-90. [PMID: 24020770 DOI: 10.1021/jm4011466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Discovery of novel effective and safe antimalarials has been traditionally focused on targeting erythrocytic parasite stages that cause clinical symptoms. However, elimination of malaria parasites from the human population will be facilitated by intervention at different life-cycle stages of the parasite, including the obligatory developmental phase in the liver, which precedes the erythrocytic stage. We have previously reported that N-Mannich-based quinolon-4(1H)-imines are potent antiplasmodial agents but present several stability liabilities. We now report our efforts to optimize quinolon-4(1H)-imines as dual-stage antiplasmodial agents endowed with chemical and metabolic stability. We report compounds active against both the erythrocytic and exoerythrocytic forms of malaria parasites, such as the quinolon-4(1H)-imine 5p (IC50 values of 54 and 710 nM against the erythrocytic and exoerythrocytic forms), which constitute excellent starting points for further lead optimization as dual-stage antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana S Ressurreição
- Research Institute for Medicines and Pharmaceutical Sciences (iMed.UL), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon , Av. Prof. Gama Pinto, 1649-019 Lisbon, Portugal
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12
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Phospholipid membrane-mediated hemozoin formation: the effects of physical properties and evidence of membrane surrounding hemozoin. PLoS One 2013; 8:e70025. [PMID: 23894579 PMCID: PMC3720957 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2013] [Accepted: 06/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Phospholipid membranes are thought to be one of the main inducers of hemozoin formation in Plasmodia and other blood-feeding parasites. The “membrane surrounding hemozoin” has been observed in infected cells but has not been observed in in vitro experiments. This study focused on observing the association of phospholipid membranes and synthetic β-hematin, which is chemically identical to hemozoin, and on a further exploration into the mechanism of phospholipid membrane-induced β-hematin formation. Our results showed that β-hematin formation was induced by phospholipids in the fluid phase but not in the gel phase. The ability of phospholipids to induce β-hematin formation was inversely correlated with gel-to-liquid phase transition temperatures, suggesting an essential insertion of heme into the hydrocarbon chains of the phospholipid membrane to form β-hematin. For this study, a cryogenic transmission electron microscope was used to achieve the first direct observation of the formation of a monolayer of phospholipid membrane surrounding β-hematin.
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13
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Rebelo M, Sousa C, Shapiro HM, Mota MM, Grobusch MP, Hänscheid T. A novel flow cytometric hemozoin detection assay for real-time sensitivity testing of Plasmodium falciparum. PLoS One 2013; 8:e61606. [PMID: 23637865 PMCID: PMC3634823 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2012] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to almost all antimalarial drugs, including the first-line treatment with artemisinins, has been described, representing an obvious threat to malaria control. In vitro antimalarial sensitivity testing is crucial to detect and monitor drug resistance. Current assays have been successfully used to detect drug effects on parasites. However, they have some limitations, such as the use of radioactive or expensive reagents or long incubation times. Here we describe a novel assay to detect antimalarial drug effects, based on flow cytometric detection of hemozoin (Hz), which is rapid and does not require any additional reagents. Hz is an optimal parasite maturation indicator since its amount increases as the parasite matures. Due to its physical property of birefringence, Hz depolarizes light, hence it can be detected using optical methods such as flow cytometry. A common flow cytometer was adapted to detect light depolarization caused by Hz. Synchronized in vitro cultures of P. falciparum were incubated for 48 hours with several antimalarial drugs. Analysis of depolarizing events, corresponding to parasitized red blood cells containing Hz, allowed the detection of parasite maturation. Moreover, chloroquine resistance and the inhibitory effect of all antimalarial drugs tested, except for pyrimethamine, could be determined as early as 18 to 24 hours of incubation. At 24 hours incubation, 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were comparable to previously reported values. These results indicate that the reagent-free, real-time Hz detection assay could become a novel assay for the detection of drug effects on Plasmodium falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Rebelo
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné - CERMEL, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambaréné, Gabon
| | - Claudia Sousa
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Howard M. Shapiro
- The Center for Microbial Cytometry, West Newton, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Maria M. Mota
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Martin P. Grobusch
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné - CERMEL, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambaréné, Gabon
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Centre for Tropical and Travel Medicine, Amsterdam Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Hänscheid
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné - CERMEL, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambaréné, Gabon
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