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Silva AC, Almeida PP, Fietto JLR, Oliveira LL, Marques-da-Silva EA. Development of a new assay for quantification of parasite load of intracellular Leishmania sp. in macrophages using flow cytometry. Cytometry A 2024; 105:382-387. [PMID: 38410875 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 12/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Finding novel methodologies that enhance the precision, agility, and standardization of drug discovery is crucial for studying leishmaniasis. The slide count is the technique most used to assess the leishmanicidal effect of a given drug in vitro. Despite being consolidated in the scientific environment, it presents several difficulties in its execution, assessment, and results. In addition to being laborious, this technique takes time, both for the preparation of the material for analysis and for the counting itself. Our research group suggests a fresh approach to address this requirement, which involves utilizing nuclear labeling with propidium iodide and flow cytometry to determine the quantity of Leishmania sp. parasites present in macrophages in vitro. Our results show that the fluorescence of infected samples increases as the infection rate increases. Using Pearson's Correlation analysis, it was possible to establish a correlation coefficient (Pearson r = 0.9473) that was strongly positive, linear, and directly proportional to the fluorescence and infection rate variables. Thus, it is possible to infer a mathematical equation through linear regression to estimate the number of parasites in each sample using the Relative Fluorescence Units (RFU) values. This new methodology opens space for the possibility of using this methodological resource in the in vitro quantification of Leishmania in macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana C Silva
- Department of General Biology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Palloma P Almeida
- Department of General Biology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Juliana L R Fietto
- Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Leandro L Oliveira
- Department of General Biology, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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2
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Cruz MGFDML, Santi AMM, de Morais-Teixeira E, Caldeira ASP, de Siqueira EP, Oliveira E, Alves TMDA, Murta SMF. Anti- Leishmania compounds can be screened using Leishmania spp. expressing red fluorescence ( tdTomato). Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024; 68:e0050923. [PMID: 38063403 PMCID: PMC10777850 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00509-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The main challenges associated with leishmaniasis chemotherapy are drug toxicity, the possible emergence of resistant parasites, and a limited choice of therapeutic agents. Therefore, new drugs and assays to screen and detect novel active compounds against leishmaniasis are urgently needed. We thus validated Leishmania braziliensis (Lb) and Leishmania infantum (Li) that constitutively express the tandem tomato red fluorescent protein (tdTomato) as a model for large-scale screens of anti-Leishmania compounds. Confocal microscopy of Lb and Li::tdTomato revealed red fluorescence distributed throughout the entire parasite, including the flagellum, and flow cytometry confirmed that the parasites emitted intense fluorescence. We evaluated the infectivity of cloned promastigotes and amastigotes constitutively expressing tdTomato, their growth profiles in THP-1 macrophages, and susceptibility to trivalent antimony, amphotericin, and miltefosine in vitro. The phenotypes of mutant and wild-type parasites were similar, indicating that the constitutive expression of tdTomato did not interfere with the evaluated parameters. We applied our validated model to a repositioning strategy and assessed the susceptibility of the parasites to eight commercially available drugs. We also screened 32 natural plant and fungal extracts and 10 pure substances to reveal new active compounds. The infectivity and Glucantime treatment efficacy of BALB/c mice and golden hamsters infected with Lb and Li::tdTomato mutant lines, respectively, were very similar compared to animals infected with wild-type parasites. Standardizing our methodology would offer more rapid, less expensive, and easier assays to screen of compounds against L. braziliensis and L. infantum in vitro and in vivo. Our method could also enhance the discovery of active compounds for treating leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariza Gabriela Faleiro de Moura Lodi Cruz
- Genômica Funcional de Parasitos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Química de Produtos Naturais Bioativos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Murta Santi
- Genômica Funcional de Parasitos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Eliane de Morais-Teixeira
- Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em Doenças Infecto-Parasitárias, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alisson Samuel Portes Caldeira
- Química de Produtos Naturais Bioativos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ezequias Pessoa de Siqueira
- Química de Produtos Naturais Bioativos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Edward Oliveira
- Genômica Funcional de Parasitos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Tânia Maria de Almeida Alves
- Química de Produtos Naturais Bioativos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Silvane Maria Fonseca Murta
- Genômica Funcional de Parasitos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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3
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Boy RL, Hong A, Aoki JI, Floeter-Winter LM, Laranjeira-Silva MF. Reporter gene systems: a powerful tool for Leishmania studies. CURRENT RESEARCH IN MICROBIAL SCIENCES 2022; 3:100165. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2022.100165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022] Open
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Bustamante C, Muskus C, Ochoa R. Rational computational approaches to predict novel drug candidates against leishmaniasis. ANNUAL REPORTS IN MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.armc.2022.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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5
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Ferreira MA, de Almeida Júnior RF, Onofre TS, Casadei BR, Farias KJS, Severino P, de Oliveira Franco CF, Raffin FN, de Lima e Moura TFA, de Melo Barbosa R. Annatto Oil Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers: A Potential New Treatment for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:1912. [PMID: 34834327 PMCID: PMC8618414 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13111912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Annatto (Bixa orellana L.) is extensively used as food pigment worldwide. Recently, several studies have found it to have healing and antioxidant properties, as well as effective action against leishmaniasis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to incorporate the oil obtained from annatto seeds into a nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) and evaluate its physicochemical properties and biological activity against Leishmania major. Nanoparticles were prepared by the fusion-emulsification and ultrasonication method, with the components Synperonic™ PE (PL) as the surfactant, cetyl palmitate (CP) or myristyl myristate (MM) as solid lipids, annatto oil (AO) (2% and 4%, w/w) as liquid lipid and active ingredient, and ultra-pure water. Physicochemical and biological characterizations were carried out to describe the NLCs, including particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential (ZP) by dynamic light scattering (DLS), encapsulation efficiency (EE%), thermal behavior, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), cytotoxicity on BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts and immortalized human keratinocyte cells, and anti-leishmaniasis activity in vitro. Nanoparticles presented an average diameter of ~200 nm (confirmed by TEM results), a PDI of less than 0.30, ZP between -12.6 and -31.2 mV, and more than 50% of AO encapsulated in NLCs. Thermal analyses demonstrated that the systems were stable at high temperatures with a decrease in crystalline structure due to the presence of AOs (confirmed by XRD). In vitro, the anti-leishmania test displayed good activity in encapsulating AO against L. major. The results indicate that the oily fraction of Bixa orellana L. in NLC systems should be evaluated as a potential therapeutic agent against leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Araújo Ferreira
- Laboratory of Drug Development, Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59012-570, Brazil; (M.A.F.); (F.N.R.)
| | | | - Thiago Souza Onofre
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil;
| | - Bruna Renata Casadei
- Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, USP, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil;
| | | | - Patricia Severino
- Institute of Technology and Research (ITP), Aracaju 49010-390, Brazil;
| | | | - Fernanda Nervo Raffin
- Laboratory of Drug Development, Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59012-570, Brazil; (M.A.F.); (F.N.R.)
| | | | - Raquel de Melo Barbosa
- Laboratory of Drug Development, Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59012-570, Brazil; (M.A.F.); (F.N.R.)
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Haghdoust S, Azizi M, Haji Molla Hoseini M, Bandehpour M, Mohseni Masooleh M, Yeganeh F. Parasite Burden Measurement in the Leishmania major Infected Mice by Using the Direct Fluorescent Microscopy, Limiting Dilution Assay, and Real-Time PCR Analysis. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY 2021; 15:576-586. [PMID: 33884015 PMCID: PMC8039490 DOI: 10.18502/ijpa.v15i4.4867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Background: We aimed to compare parasite burden in BALB/c mice, using three methods including the direct fluorescent microscopic using recombinant Leishmania major expressing an enhanced green fluorescent protein, limiting dilution assay, and real-time PCR technique. Methods: The current study was carried out in 2018, to induce stable enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) production. Initially, the linearized DNA expression cassette (pLEXSY-egfp-sat2) was integrated into the ssu locus of L. major. The expression of EGFP in recombinant parasite was analyzed using direct fluorescent microscopy. Afterward, BALB/c mice were infected with the L. major
EGFP, and the infection was evaluated in the foot-pads and inguinal lymph-nodes using an in vivo imaging system. Subsequently, eight BALB/c mice were infected with L. major
EGFP, and the results of evaluating parasite burden by a SYBR-Green based real-time PCR analysis and the limiting dilution assays were compared to the results obtained from the direct fluorescent microscopy. Results: The results of the direct fluorescent microscopy showed that EGFP gene stably was expressed in parasites. Moreover, the in vivo imaging analysis of foot-pad lesions revealed that the infection caused by L. major
EGFP was progressing over time. Additionally, significant correlations were observed between the results of parasite burden assay using the direct fluorescent microscopy and either limiting dilution assay (r=0.976, P<0.0001) or quantitative real-time PCR assay (r=0.857, P<0.001). Conclusion: Ultimately, the utilization of the direct fluorescent microscopy by employing a stable EGFP-expressing L. major is a suitable substitution for the existing methods to quantify parasite burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepideh Haghdoust
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdieh Azizi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mostafa Haji Molla Hoseini
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mojgan Bandehpour
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Farshid Yeganeh
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Espada CR, Albuquerque-Wendt A, Hornillos V, Gluenz E, Coelho AC, Uliana SRB. Ros3 (Lem3p/CDC50) Gene Dosage Is Implicated in Miltefosine Susceptibility in Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis Clinical Isolates and in Leishmania (Leishmania) major. ACS Infect Dis 2021; 7:849-858. [PMID: 33724800 PMCID: PMC8042657 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
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The Ros3 protein is a component of
the MT-Ros3 transporter complex,
considered as the main route of miltefosine entry in Leishmania. L. braziliensis clinical isolates presenting differences
in miltefosine susceptibility and uptake were previously shown to
differentially express ros3. In this work, we showed
that the ros3 gene copy number was increased in the
isolate presenting the highest rates of miltefosine uptake and, thus,
the highest susceptibility to this drug. The role of the ros3 gene dosage in miltefosine susceptibility was then investigated
through a modulation of the gene copy number using two distinct approaches:
through an overexpression of ros3 in a tolerant L. braziliensis clinical isolate and in L. major and by generating mono- and diallelic knockouts of this gene in L. major using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic
repeats (CRISPR) Cas9 (Cas = CRISPR-associated). Although the levels
of ros3 mRNA were increased at least 40-fold in overexpressing
clones, no significant reduction in the half-maximal effective concentration
(EC50) for miltefosine was observed in these parasites.
The partial or complete deletion of ros3 in L. major, in turn, resulted in a significant increase of
3 and 20 times, respectively, in the EC50 to miltefosine.
We unequivocally showed that the ros3 copy number
is one of the factors involved in the differential susceptibility
and uptake of miltefosine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline R. Espada
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andreia Albuquerque-Wendt
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Valentín Hornillos
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidad de Sevilla and Centro de Innovación en Química Avanzada, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Eva Gluenz
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Adriano C. Coelho
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Silvia R. B. Uliana
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Application of CRISPR/Cas9-Based Reverse Genetics in Leishmania braziliensis: Conserved Roles for HSP100 and HSP23. Genes (Basel) 2020; 11:genes11101159. [PMID: 33007987 PMCID: PMC7601497 DOI: 10.3390/genes11101159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The protozoan parasite Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis (L. braziliensis) is the main cause of human tegumentary leishmaniasis in the New World, a disease affecting the skin and/or mucosal tissues. Despite its importance, the study of the unique biology of L. braziliensis through reverse genetics analyses has so far lagged behind in comparison with Old World Leishmania spp. In this study, we successfully applied a cloning-free, PCR-based CRISPR–Cas9 technology in L. braziliensis that was previously developed for Old World Leishmania major and New World L. mexicana species. As proof of principle, we demonstrate the targeted replacement of a transgene (eGFP) and two L. braziliensis single-copy genes (HSP23 and HSP100). We obtained homozygous Cas9-free HSP23- and HSP100-null mutants in L. braziliensis that matched the phenotypes reported previously for the respective L. donovani null mutants. The function of HSP23 is indeed conserved throughout the Trypanosomatida as L. majorHSP23 null mutants could be complemented phenotypically with transgenes from a range of trypanosomatids. In summary, the feasibility of genetic manipulation of L. braziliensis by CRISPR–Cas9-mediated gene editing sets the stage for testing the role of specific genes in that parasite’s biology, including functional studies of virulence factors in relevant animal models to reveal novel therapeutic targets to combat American tegumentary leishmaniasis.
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Histone deacetylases inhibitors as new potential drugs against Leishmania braziliensis, the main causative agent of new world tegumentary leishmaniasis. Biochem Pharmacol 2020; 180:114191. [PMID: 32777278 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The protozoan parasite Leishmania braziliensis is a major causative agent of the neglected tropical diseases Cutaneous and Mucocutaneous Leishmaniases in the New World. There are no vaccines to prevent the infection and the treatment relies on few drugs that often display high toxicity and costs. Thus, chemotherapeutic alternatives are required. Histone Deacetylases (HDACs) are epigenetic enzymes involved in the control of chromatin structure. In this work, we tested an in-house library of 78 hydroxamic acid derivatives as putative inhibitors of L. braziliensis HDACs (HDACi). The compounds were evaluated in relation to the toxicity to the host cell macrophage and to the leishmanicidal effect against L. braziliensis during in vitro infection. Eight HDACi showed significant leishmanicidal effects and the top 5 compounds showed effective concentrations (EC50) in the range of 4.38 to 10.21 μM and selectivity indexes (SI) from of 6 to 21.7. Analyses by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) indicated induction of apoptotic cell death of L. braziliensis amastigotes with a necrotic phenotype. An altered chromatin condensation pattern and cellular disorganization of intracellular amastigotes was also observed. A tight connection between the mitochondrion and nuclear protrusions, presumably of endoplasmic reticulum origin, was found in parasites but not in the host cell. In flow cytometry (FC) analyses, HDACi promoted parasite cell cycle arrest in the G2-M phase and no changes were found in macrophages. In addition, the direct effect of HDACi against the promastigotes showed apoptosis as the main mechanism of cell death. The FC results corroborate the TEM analyses indicating that the HDACi lead to changes in the cell cycle and induction of apoptosis of L. braziliensis. The production of nitric oxide by the infected macrophages was not altered after treatment with the top 5 compounds. Taken together, our results evidenced new HDACi as promising agents for the development of new treatments for American Tegumentary Leishmaniasis caused by L. braziliensis.
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Phumee A, Jariyapan N, Chusri S, Hortiwakul T, Mouri O, Gay F, Limpanasithikul W, Siriyasatien P. Determination of anti-leishmanial drugs efficacy against Leishmania martiniquensis using a colorimetric assay. Parasite Epidemiol Control 2020; 9:e00143. [PMID: 32300665 PMCID: PMC7153290 DOI: 10.1016/j.parepi.2020.e00143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Autochthonous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania martiniquensis cases in Thailand have dramatically increased in the recent years. L. martiniquensis infection primarily occurs in immunocompromised patients, especially AIDS patients. In Thailand, amphotericin B is the only drug available for leishmaniasis treatment, and some patients relapse after amphotericin B therapy. Moreover, the efficacy of anti-leishmanial drugs against L. martiniquensis has not been evaluated to date. In this study, we determined the efficacy of various anti-leishmanial drugs against the promastigote and intracellular amastigote stages of L. martiniquensis using a colorimetric assay. Two strains (CU1 and CU1R1) were isolated from leishmaniasis HIV co-infected patient from Songkhla province, southern Thailand. The CU1 strain was isolated from the patient in 2011, and CU1R1 was isolated from the same patient in 2013, when he was diagnosed as relapse leishmaniasis. The third strain (LSCM1) used in this study has been isolated from immunocompetent patient from Lamphun province, northern Thailand. All strains were identified as L. martiniquensis by sequencing of ribosomal RNA ITS-1 and large subunit of RNA polymerase II gene. Bioassays have been conducted both with promastigote and intracellular amastigote stages of the parasite. All L. martiniquensis strains have been tested against amphotericin B, miltefosine and pentamidine to determine the efficacy of the drugs against the parasite by using a PrestoBlue. The efficacy of miltefosine and pentamidine exhibit no significant difference between each stage of L. martiniquensis among all strains. Surprisingly, the promastigote and intracellular amastigote of the CU1R1 isolate, which was isolated from a relapsed patient after amphotericin B treatment, exhibited a two-fold increased inhibitory concentration (IC50) against amphotericin B compared with other strains, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Moreover, intracellular amastigotes isolated from CU1R1 exhibited slightly increased susceptibility to amphotericin B compared with the promastigote (p < 0.05). The result of this experiment is a scientific evident to support that in case of relapsed leishmaniasis caused by L. martiniquensis, increasing dosage of amphotericin B is essential. Moreover, this study also determined efficacy of other anti-leishmanial drugs for treatment the leishmaniasis in Thailand in case of these drugs are available in the country and the clinicians should have alternative drugs for treatment leishmaniasis in Thailand apart from amphotericin B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atchara Phumee
- Vector Biology and Vector Borne Disease Research Unit, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Narissara Jariyapan
- Vector Biology and Vector Borne Disease Research Unit, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Saranyou Chusri
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Thanaporn Hortiwakul
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand
| | - Oussama Mouri
- Sorbonne Universite - Faculty of Medicine, AP-HP - Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Frederick Gay
- Sorbonne Universite - Faculty of Medicine, AP-HP - Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | | | - Padet Siriyasatien
- Vector Biology and Vector Borne Disease Research Unit, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
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11
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Sharma R, Silveira-Mattos PS, Ferreira VC, Rangel FA, Oliveira LB, Celes FS, Viana SM, Wilson ME, de Oliveira CI. Generation and Characterization of a Dual-Reporter Transgenic Leishmania braziliensis Line Expressing eGFP and Luciferase. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 9:468. [PMID: 32039047 PMCID: PMC6987073 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we generated a transgenic strain of Leishmania braziliensis, an etiological agent associated with a diversity of clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis ranging from localized cutaneous to mucocutaneous to disseminated disease. Transgenic parasites expressing reporter proteins are valuable tools for studies of parasite biology, host-pathogen interactions, and anti-parasitic drug development. To this end, we constructed an L. braziliensis line stably expressing the reporters eGFP and luciferase (eGFP-LUC L. braziliensis). The integration cassette co-expressing the two reporters was targeted to the ribosomal locus (SSU) of the parasite genome. Transgenic parasites were characterized for their infectivity and stability both in vitro and in vivo. Parasite maintenance in axenic long-term culture in the absence of selective drugs did not alter expression of the two reporters or infection of BALB/c mice, indicating stability of the integrated cassette. Infectivity of eGFP-LUC, L. braziliensis, both in vivo and in vitro was similar to that obtained with the parental wild type strain. The possibility of L. braziliensis tracking and quantification using fluorescence and luminescence broadens the scope of research involving this neglected species, despite its importance in terms of public health concerning the leishmaniasis burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohit Sharma
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, FIOCRUZ, Salvador, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mary E Wilson
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology and Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, and the Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Camila I de Oliveira
- Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, FIOCRUZ, Salvador, Brazil.,INCT-Instituto de Investigação em Imunologia, São Paulo, Brazil
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12
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Synthesis of cinnamic acid derivatives and leishmanicidal activity against Leishmania braziliensis. Eur J Med Chem 2019; 183:111688. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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13
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de Oliveira TA, Silva WD, da Rocha Torres N, Badaró de Moraes JV, Senra RL, de Oliveira Mendes TA, Júnior AS, Bressan GC, Fietto JLR. Application of the LEXSY Leishmania tarentolae system as a recombinant protein expression platform: A review. Process Biochem 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2019.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Biochemical analysis of leishmanial and human GDP-Mannose Pyrophosphorylases and selection of inhibitors as new leads. Sci Rep 2017; 7:751. [PMID: 28389670 PMCID: PMC5429698 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-00848-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniases are an ensemble of diseases caused by the protozoan parasite of the genus Leishmania. Current antileishmanial treatments are limited and present main issues of toxicity and drug resistance emergence. Therefore, the generation of new inhibitors specifically directed against a leishmanial target is an attractive strategy to expand the chemotherapeutic arsenal. GDP-Mannose Pyrophosphorylase (GDP-MP) is a prominent therapeutic target involved in host-parasite recognition which has been described to be essential for parasite survival. In this work, we produced and purified GDP-MPs from L. mexicana (LmGDP-MP), L. donovani (LdGDP-MP), and human (hGDP-MP), and compared their enzymatic properties. From a rationale design of 100 potential inhibitors, four compounds were identified having a promising and specific inhibitory effect on parasite GDP-MP and antileishmanial activities, one of them exhibits a competitive inhibition on LdGDP-MP and belongs to the 2-substituted quinoline series.
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