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Gonçalves MN, Lopes DS, Teixeira SC, Teixeira TL, de Freitas V, Costa TR, Gimenes SNC, de Camargo IM, de Souza G, da Silva MS, Azevedo FVPDV, Grego KF, Santos LC, Oliveira VQ, da Silva CV, Rodrigues RS, Yoneyama KAG, Clissa PB, Rodrigues VDM. Antileishmanial effects of γCdcPLI, a phospholipase A2 inhibitor from Crotalus durissus collilineatus snake serum, on Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2023; 118:e220225. [PMID: 38018570 PMCID: PMC10690931 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760220225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leishmaniasis, a neglected disease caused by the parasite Leishmania, is treated with drugs associated with high toxicity and limited efficacy, in addition to constant reports of the emergence of resistant parasites. In this context, snake serums emerge as good candidates since they are natural sources with the potential to yield novel drugs. OBJECTIVES We aimed to show the antileishmanial effects of γCdcPLI, a phospholipase A2 inhibitor from Crotalus durissus collilineatus snake serum, against Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. METHODS Promastigotes forms were exposed to γCdcPLI, and we assessed the parasite viability and cell cycle, as well as invasion and proliferation assays. FINDINGS Despite the low cytotoxicity effect on macrophages, our data indicate that γCdcPLI has a direct effect on parasites promoting an arrest in the G1 phase and reduction in the G2/M phase at the highest dose tested. Moreover, this PLA2 inhibitor reduced the parasite infectivity when promastigotes were pre-treated. Also, we demonstrated that the γCdcPLI treatment modulated the host cell environment impairing early and late steps of the parasitism. MAIN CONCLUSIONS γCdcPLI is an interesting tool for the discovery of new essential targets on the parasite, as well as an alternative compound to improve the effectiveness of the leishmaniasis treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Neves Gonçalves
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Biotecnologia,
Laboratório de Bioquímica e Toxinas Animais, Uberlândia, MG, Brasil
| | - Daiana Silva Lopes
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Biotecnologia,
Laboratório de Bioquímica e Toxinas Animais, Uberlândia, MG, Brasil
- Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Biociências, Vitória da
Conquista, BA, Brasil
| | - Samuel Cota Teixeira
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Ciências
Biomédicas, Departamento de Imunologia, Uberlândia, MG, Brasil
| | - Thaise Lara Teixeira
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina,
Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, São Paulo, SP,
Brasil
| | - Vitor de Freitas
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Biotecnologia,
Laboratório de Bioquímica e Toxinas Animais, Uberlândia, MG, Brasil
| | - Tássia Rafaella Costa
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Biotecnologia,
Laboratório de Bioquímica e Toxinas Animais, Uberlândia, MG, Brasil
| | | | | | - Guilherme de Souza
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Ciências
Biomédicas, Departamento de Imunologia, Uberlândia, MG, Brasil
| | - Marcelo Santos da Silva
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Química, Departamento de
Bioquímica, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
| | | | | | - Luísa Carregosa Santos
- Universidade Federal da Bahia, Instituto de Biociências, Vitória da
Conquista, BA, Brasil
| | | | - Claudio Vieira da Silva
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Ciências
Biomédicas, Departamento de Imunologia, Uberlândia, MG, Brasil
| | - Renata Santos Rodrigues
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Biotecnologia,
Laboratório de Bioquímica e Toxinas Animais, Uberlândia, MG, Brasil
| | - Kelly Aparecida Geraldo Yoneyama
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Biotecnologia,
Laboratório de Bioquímica e Toxinas Animais, Uberlândia, MG, Brasil
| | | | - Veridiana de Melo Rodrigues
- Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Biotecnologia,
Laboratório de Bioquímica e Toxinas Animais, Uberlândia, MG, Brasil
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de Freitas E Silva R, Gálvez RI, Pereira VRA, de Brito MEF, Choy SL, Lotter H, Bosurgi L, Jacobs T. Programmed Cell Death Ligand (PD-L)-1 Contributes to the Regulation of CD4 + T Effector and Regulatory T Cells in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis. Front Immunol 2020; 11:574491. [PMID: 33193363 PMCID: PMC7642203 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.574491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) affects up to one million people every year and treatments are costly and toxic. The regulation of the host immune response is complex and the knowledge of how CD4+ T cells are activated and maintained during Leishmania infection is still limited. Current therapies aim to target programmed cell death (PD)-1 and programmed cell death ligand (PD-L)-1 in order to boost T cell activity. However, the role of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis during Leishmania infection is still unclear. In this study, we found that patients with active and post-treatment CL displayed different subsets of CD4+PD-1+ T cells. Accordingly, L. major-infected mice upregulated PD-1 on activated CD4+ T effector cells and PD-L1 on resident macrophages and infiltrating monocytes at the site of infection. L. major-infected Pdl1−/− mice expressed lower levels of MHCII and higher levels of CD206 on macrophages and monocytes and, more importantly, the lack of PD-L1 contributed to a reduced frequency of CD4+Ly6Chi T effector cells and an increase of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells at the site of infection and in draining lymph nodes. Additionally, the lack of PD-L1 was associated with lower production of IL-27 by infiltrating monocytes and lower levels of the Th1 cytokines IFN-γ and TNF-α produced by CD4+ T effector cells. Pdl1−/− mice initially exhibited larger lesions despite having a similar parasite load. Our results describe for the first time how the interruption of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis influences the immune response against CL and suggests that this axis regulates the balance between CD4+Ly6Chi T effector cells and CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael de Freitas E Silva
- Protozoa Immunology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Natural Sciences, University of Pernambuco, Garanhuns, Brazil
| | - Rosa Isela Gálvez
- Protozoa Immunology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Siew Ling Choy
- Department of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hannelore Lotter
- Department of Molecular Parasitology and Immunology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Lidia Bosurgi
- Protozoa Immunology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.,I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Jacobs
- Protozoa Immunology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
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Abstract
Introduction: The armamentarium of antileishmanial drugs is small. It is further being threatened by the development of resistance and decreasing sensitivity to the available drugs. The development of newer drugs is sorely needed. Areas covered: The authors have based their review on a literature search performed using PubMed. The article specifically looks at investigational drugs, which have demonstrated, at the very least, in vitro and in vivo activities against the leishmania species that cause visceral leishmaniasis. Specifically, the authors review the nitroimidazole compound fexinidazole, which is one of the few drugs which have reached Phase II trials. The article also discusses the R enantiomer of (S)-PA-824, which has shown good antileishmanial activity. Finally, the article also highlights the many novel delivery systems and oral formulations of amphotericin B, which are both cheap and less toxic and are currently under investigation. Expert opinion: Very few new drugs have reached the clinic for this neglected tropical disease and there is an urgent need for new efficacious therapeutics. The authors believe that support from public-private partnerships would help in enabling the prompt development of drug candidates that could potentially make the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shyam Sundar
- Banaras Hindu University, Institute of Medical Sciences, Department of Medicine , Varanasi 221 005, UP , India + 91 542 2369632 ; + 91 542 2367568 ;
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Rocha VPC, Nonato FR, Guimarães ET, Rodrigues de Freitas LA, Soares MBP. Activity of antimalarial drugs in vitro and in a murine model of cutaneous leishmaniasis. J Med Microbiol 2013; 62:1001-1010. [DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.058115-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The currently used treatments for leishmaniasis, a neglected parasitic disease, are associated with several side effects, high cost and resistance of the Leishmania parasites. Here we evaluated in vitro and in vivo the antileishmanial activity of five antimalarial drugs against Leishmania amazonensis. Mefloquine was effective against promastigotes in axenic cultures and showed an IC50 (concentration giving half-maximal inhibition) value of 8.4±0.7 µM. In addition, mefloquine, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine were active against intracellular amastigotes in macrophage-infected cultures, presenting IC50 values of 1.56±0.19 µM, 0.78±0.08 µM and 0.67±0.12 µM, respectively. The ultrastructural analysis of chloroquine- or mefloquine-treated amastigotes showed an accumulation of multivesicular bodies in the cytoplasm of the parasite, suggesting endocytic pathway impairment, in addition to the formation of myelin-like figures and enlargement of the Golgi cisternae. CBA mice were infected with L. amazonensis in the ear dermis, and treated by oral and/or topical routes with chloroquine and mefloquine. Treatment of L. amazonensis-infected mice with chloroquine by the oral route reduced lesion size, which was associated with a decrease in the number of parasites in the ear, as well as the parasite burden in the draining lymph nodes. In contrast, mefloquine administration by both routes decreased the lesion size in infected mice without causing a reduction in parasite burden. Our results revealed a promising antileishmanial effect of chloroquine and suggest its use in cutaneous leishmaniasis treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius Pinto Costa Rocha
- Laboratório de Engenharia Tecidual e Imunofarmacologia, Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Waldemar Falcão 121, Candeal, 40296-70, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Fabiana Regina Nonato
- Laboratório de Engenharia Tecidual e Imunofarmacologia, Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Waldemar Falcão 121, Candeal, 40296-70, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Elisalva Teixeira Guimarães
- Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Rua Silveira Martins, 2555, Cabula, 41150-000, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Laboratório de Engenharia Tecidual e Imunofarmacologia, Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Waldemar Falcão 121, Candeal, 40296-70, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Luiz Antônio Rodrigues de Freitas
- Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Avenida Reitor Miguel Calmon, s/n°, Vale do Canela, 40025-010, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Laboratório de Patologia e Biointervenção, Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Waldemar Falcão 121, Candeal, 40296-70, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Milena Botelho Pereira Soares
- Centro de Biotecnologia e Terapia Celular, Hospital São Rafael, Avenida São Rafael 2152, 41253-190, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
- Laboratório de Engenharia Tecidual e Imunofarmacologia, Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rua Waldemar Falcão 121, Candeal, 40296-70, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
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Discovery of safe and orally effective 4-aminoquinaldine analogues as apoptotic inducers with activity against experimental visceral leishmaniasis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2011; 56:432-45. [PMID: 22024817 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00700-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Novel antileishmanials are urgently required to overcome emergence of drug resistance, cytotoxic effects, and difficulties in oral delivery. Toward this, we investigated a series of novel 4-aminoquinaldine derivatives, a new class of molecules, as potential antileishmanials. 4-Aminoquinaldine derivatives presented inhibitory effects on L. donovani promastigotes and amastigotes (50% inhibitory concentration range, 0.94 to 127 μM). Of these, PP-9 and PP-10 were the most effective in vitro and demonstrated strong efficacies in vivo through the intraperitoneal route. They were also found to be effective against both sodium antimony gluconate-sensitive and -resistant Leishmania donovani strains in BALB/c mice when treated orally, resulting in more than 95% protection. Investigation of their mode of action revealed that killing by PP-10 involved moderate inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase and elicitation of the apoptotic cascade. Our studies implicate that PP-10 augments reactive oxygen species generation, evidenced from decreased glutathione levels and increased lipid peroxidation. Subsequent disruption of Leishmania promastigote mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of cytosolic proteases initiated the apoptotic pathway, resulting in DNA fragmentation and parasite death. Our results demonstrate that PP-9 and PP-10 are promising lead compounds with the potential for treating visceral leishmaniasis (VL) through the oral route.
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Amato VS, Tuon FF, Bacha HA, Neto VA, Nicodemo AC. Mucosal leishmaniasis . Current scenario and prospects for treatment. Acta Trop 2008; 105:1-9. [PMID: 17884002 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2007.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2007] [Revised: 08/14/2007] [Accepted: 08/14/2007] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis causes significant morbidity and mortality and thus constitutes a serious public health problem. Even though it has long been endemic in developing countries, in recent years the economic globalization and the increased volume of international travel have extended its prevalence in developed countries. In addition, native populations may be exposed to the infection through blood transfusion and the use of blood products produced from infected asymptomatic individuals. Mucosal leishmaniasis (ML) is a chronic form of this infection, which attacks the mucosa. In most cases this form of leishmaniasis results from the metastatic spread of Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis from cutaneous lesions. It is a healthcare issue because of its wide demographic distribution, its association with significant morbidity levels, and because of the pressing concern that tourists who travel to endemic areas might present the disease even years later. The treatment currently available for ML is based on drugs such as pentavalent antimony-containing compounds, amphotericin B deoxycholate and pentamidine and often guarantees a satisfactory clinical response. Nevertheless, it also frequently provokes serious side effects. This review offers a critical analysis of the drugs now available for the treatment of ML as also of the future prospects for the treatment of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valdir Sabbaga Amato
- Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Clinic, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, 05403-010, São Paulo, Brazil.
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