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Yolanda H, Jearawuttanakul K, Wannalo W, Kanjanasirirat P, Borwornpinyo S, Rujirawat T, Payattikul P, Kittichotirat W, Wichadakul D, Krajaejun T. Potential anti- Pythium insidiosum therapeutics identified through screening of agricultural fungicides. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0162023. [PMID: 38179943 PMCID: PMC10846074 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01620-23] [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: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Pythiosis is a life-threatening infectious disease caused by the oomycete Pythium insidiosum. Clinical manifestations of pythiosis include an eye, blood vessel, skin, or gastrointestinal tract infection. Pythiosis has been increasingly reported worldwide, with an overall mortality rate of 28%. Radical surgery is required to save patients' lives due to the limited efficacy of antimicrobial drugs. Effective medical treatments are urgently needed for pythiosis. This study aims to find anti-P. insidiosum agents by screening 17 agricultural fungicides that inhibit plant-pathogenic oomycetes and validating their efficacy and safety. Cyazofamid outperformed other fungicides as it can potently inhibit genetically diverse P. insidiosum isolates while exhibiting minimal cellular toxicities. The calculated therapeutic scores determined that the concentration of cyazofamid causing significant cellular toxicities was eight times greater than the concentration of the drug effectively inhibiting P. insidiosum. Furthermore, other studies showed that cyazofamid exhibits low-to-moderate toxicities in animals. The mechanism of cyazofamid action is likely the inhibition of cytochrome b, an essential component in ATP synthesis. Molecular docking and dynamic analyses depicted a stable binding of cyazofamid to the Qi site of the P. insidiosum's cytochrome b orthologous protein. In conclusion, our search for an effective anti-P. insidiosum drug indicated that cyazofamid is a promising candidate for treating pythiosis. With its high efficacy and low toxicity, cyazofamid is a potential chemical for treating pythiosis, reducing the need for radical surgeries, and improving recovery rates. Our findings could pave the way for the development of new and effective treatments for pythiosis.IMPORTANCEPythiosis is a severe infection caused by Pythium insidiosum. The disease is prevalent in tropical/subtropical regions. This infectious condition is challenging to treat with antifungal drugs and often requires surgical removal of the infected tissue. Pythiosis can be fatal if not treated promptly. There is a need for a new treatment that effectively inhibits P. insidiosum. This study screened 17 agricultural fungicides that target plant-pathogenic oomycetes and found that cyazofamid was the most potent in inhibiting P. insidiosum. Cyazofamid showed low toxicity to mammalian cells and high affinity to the P. insidiosum's cytochrome b, which is involved in energy production. Cyazofamid could be a promising candidate for the treatment of pythiosis, as it could reduce the need for surgery and improve the survival rate of patients. This study provides valuable insights into the biology and drug susceptibility of P. insidiosum and opens new avenues for developing effective therapies for pythiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Yolanda
- Program in Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Kedchin Jearawuttanakul
- Excellent Center for Drug Discovery, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Warawuth Wannalo
- Excellent Center for Drug Discovery, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Suparerk Borwornpinyo
- Excellent Center for Drug Discovery, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Thidarat Rujirawat
- Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Penpan Payattikul
- Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Weerayuth Kittichotirat
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, School of Bioresources and Technology and School of Information Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkhuntien, Bangkok, Thailand
- Systems Biology and Bioinformatics Research Group, Pilot Plant Development and Training Institute, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkhuntien, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Duangdao Wichadakul
- Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Systems Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Theerapong Krajaejun
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Kittichotirat W, Patumcharoenpol P, Rujirawat T, Tangphatsornruang S, Yurayart C, Krajaejun T. Pins Gene Table v2.0: An Online Genome Database of 37 Pythium insidiosum Strains for Gene Content Exploration and Phylogenomic Analysis. J Fungi (Basel) 2024; 10:112. [PMID: 38392784 PMCID: PMC10889951 DOI: 10.3390/jof10020112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Unlike most pathogenic oomycetes, Pythium insidiosum infects humans and animals instead of plants. P. insidiosum has three clinically relevant genotypes/clades that cause a severe disease called pythiosis. To develop strategies for infection control, it is necessary to understand the biology and pathogenesis of this pathogen. Investigating the evolutionary mechanisms behind the host-specific adaptation is vital, and comparative genomic analysis can help with this. To facilitate genomic analysis, an online bioinformatics tool called P. insidiosum (Pins) Gene Table v2.0 was developed. This tool includes genomic data from 37 genetically diverse P. insidiosum strains and four related species. The database contains 732,686 genes, grouped into 80,061 unique clusters and further divided into core and variable categories at genus, species, and genotype levels. A high-resolution phylogenomic relationship among P. insidiosum strains and other oomycetes was projected through hierarchical clustering and core gene analyses. 3156 P. insidiosum-specific genes were shared among all genotypes and may be responsible for causing disease in humans and animals. After comparing these species-specific genes to the MvirDB database, 112 had significant matches with 66 known virulence proteins, some of which might be involved in vascular occlusion, which is a pathological feature of pythiosis. The correlation of genotypes, geographic origins, and affected hosts of P. insidiosum suggests that clade-I strains are more specific to animals, while clade-II/III strains are more specific to humans. The clade-specific genes might link to host preference. In summary, Pins Gene Table v2.0 is a comprehensive genome database accessible to users with minimal bioinformatics experience for the analysis of P. insidiosum genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weerayuth Kittichotirat
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program, School of Bioresources and Technology and School of Information Technology, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkhunthian, Bangkok 10150, Thailand
- Systems Biology and Bioinformatics Research Group, Pilot Plant Development and Training Institute, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkhunthin, Bangkok 10150, Thailand
| | - Preecha Patumcharoenpol
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Bioscience, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Thidarat Rujirawat
- Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 73170, Thailand
| | - Sithichoke Tangphatsornruang
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand
| | - Chompoonek Yurayart
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
| | - Theerapong Krajaejun
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 73170, Thailand
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