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Horowitz RI, Fallon J, Freeman PR. Comparison of the Efficacy of Longer versus Shorter Pulsed High Dose Dapsone Combination Therapy in the Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease/Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome with Bartonellosis and Associated Coinfections. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2301. [PMID: 37764145 PMCID: PMC10537894 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11092301] [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: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 08/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Twenty-five patients with relapsing and remitting Borreliosis, Babesiosis, and bartonellosis despite extended anti-infective therapy were prescribed double-dose dapsone combination therapy (DDDCT), followed by one or several courses of High Dose Dapsone Combination Therapy (HDDCT). A retrospective chart review of these 25 patients undergoing DDDCT therapy and HDDCT demonstrated that 100% improved their tick-borne symptoms, and patients completing 6-7 day pulses of HDDCT had superior levels of improvement versus 4-day pulses if Bartonella was present. At the completion of treatment, 7/23 (30.5%) who completed 8 weeks of DDDCT followed by a 5-7 day pulse of HDDCT remained in remission for 3-9 months, and 3/23 patients (13%) who recently finished treatment were 1 ½ months in full remission. In conclusion, DDDCT followed by 6-7 day pulses of HDDCT could represent a novel, effective anti-infective strategy in chronic Lyme disease/Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) and associated co-infections, including Bartonella, especially in individuals who have failed standard antibiotic protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard I. Horowitz
- Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Working Group, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY 12224, USA
- Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, Hyde Park, NY 12538, USA; (J.F.); (P.R.F.)
| | - John Fallon
- Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, Hyde Park, NY 12538, USA; (J.F.); (P.R.F.)
| | - Phyllis R. Freeman
- Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, Hyde Park, NY 12538, USA; (J.F.); (P.R.F.)
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2
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Mefloquine loaded niosomes as a promising approach for the treatment of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis. Acta Trop 2023; 239:106810. [PMID: 36581225 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis is a disease with a worldwide distribution and significant morbidity and mortality. In search of effective treatment, mefloquine (MQ) was repurposed and loaded with niosomes to treat acute and chronic phases of toxoplasmosis in experimental mice. Mice were orally inoculated with 20 cysts of Toxoplasma gondii (ME 49 strain) for the acute model of infection and 10 cysts for the chronic model of infection. Infected mice were dosed with MQ solution or MQ-niosomes at 50 mg/kg/day, starting from the second day post-infection (PI) (acute model) or the fifth week PI (chronic model), and this was continued for six consecutive days. The effects of MQ solution and MQ-niosomes were compared with a pyrimethamine/sulfadiazine (PYR/SDZ) dosing combination as mortality rates, brain cyst number, inflammatory score, and immunohistochemical studies that included an estimation of apoptotic cells (TUNEL assays). In the acute infection model, MQ solution and MQ-niosomes significantly reduced the mortality rate from 45% to 25 and 10%, respectively, compared with infected untreated controls, and decreased the number of brain cysts by 51.5% and 66.9%, respectively. In the chronic infection model, cyst reduction reached 80.9% and 12.3% for MQ solution and MQ-niosomes treatments, respectively. MQ-niosomes significantly decreased inflammation induced by acute or chronic T. gondii infection. Additionally, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that MQ solution and MQ-niosomes significantly increased the number of TUNEL-positive cells in brain tissue, indicative of induction of apoptosis. Collectively, these results indicate that MQ-niosomes may provide a useful delivery strategy to treat both acute and chronic toxoplasmosis.
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Renard I, Ben Mamoun C. Treatment of Human Babesiosis: Then and Now. Pathogens 2021; 10:pathogens10091120. [PMID: 34578153 PMCID: PMC8469882 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10091120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Babesiosis is an emerging tick-borne disease caused by apicomplexan parasites of the genus Babesia. With its increasing incidence worldwide and the risk of human-to-human transmission through blood transfusion, babesiosis is becoming a rising public health concern. The current arsenal for the treatment of human babesiosis is limited and consists of combinations of atovaquone and azithromycin or clindamycin and quinine. These combination therapies were not designed based on biological criteria unique to Babesia parasites, but were rather repurposed based on their well-established efficacy against other apicomplexan parasites. However, these compounds are associated with mild or severe adverse events and a rapid emergence of drug resistance, thus highlighting the need for new therapeutic strategies that are specifically tailored to Babesia parasites. Herein, we review ongoing babesiosis therapeutic and management strategies and their limitations, and further review current efforts to develop new, effective, and safer therapies for the treatment of this disease.
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El-Wakil ES, Salem AE, Al-Ghandour AMF. Evaluation of possible prophylactic and therapeutic effect of mefloquine on experimental cryptosporidiosis in immunocompromised mice. J Parasit Dis 2020; 45:380-393. [PMID: 34295037 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-020-01315-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Cryptosporidiosis is an imperative global health concern. Unfortunately, Nitazoxanide (NTZ) (the nowadays drug of choice) is not effective in treatment of immunocompromised patients. We aimed to assess the possible anti-cryptosporidial prophylactic and therapeutic effects of Mefloquine (MQ) on infected immunosuppressed murine models. Mice were divided into five groups; GI: received Mefloquine (400 mg/kg/day), GII: received NTZ (100 mg/kg/bid), GIII: received a combination, half dose regimen of both drugs, GIV: infected untreated and GV: non-infected untreated. Each treated group was divided into three subgroups; Ga prophylaxis (PX), thereafter infection, Gb first and Gc second treatment doses. Assessment was done by parasitological, histopathological and serological techniques. A significant oocyst clearance was detected in all prophylactically treated groups. GIa showed 77% reduction of the mean oocyst count in stool while GIb and GIIIc showed100% oocyst clearance. Histopathologically, the ileocecal sections from GIV showed loss of brush borders with marked villous atrophy. GIa induced a moderate improvement of those pathological changes. Moreover, the villi in GIb and GIIIc retained their normal appearance with minimal inflammatory cells. Serum interferon gamma levels showed highly significant increases in GI&GIII compared to GIV while a non-significant increase was observed in GIIa only. On the contrary, serum interleukin-17 levels showed a highly significant down-regulation in all treated groups in comparison to GIV. This study proved a marvelous effect of MQ-PX on cryptosporidiosis in immunosuppressed mice and thus it could be introduced as one of the most promising re-purposed prophylactic and therapeutic anti-cryptosporidial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman S El-Wakil
- Department of Parasitology, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Giza, Egypt
| | - Amal E Salem
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
| | - Asmaa M F Al-Ghandour
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
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5
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Arias MH, Quiliano M, Bourgeade-Delmas S, Fabing I, Chantal I, Berthier D, Minet C, Eparvier V, Sorres J, Stien D, Galiano S, Aldana I, Valentin A, Garavito G, Deharo E. Alsinol, an arylamino alcohol derivative active against Plasmodium, Babesia, Trypanosoma, and Leishmania: past and new outcomes. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:3503-3515. [PMID: 32772176 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06832-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Malaria, babesiosis, trypanosomosis, and leishmaniasis are some of the most life-threatening parasites, but the range of drugs to treat them is limited. An effective, safe, and low-cost drug with a large activity spectrum is urgently needed. For this purpose, an aryl amino alcohol derivative called Alsinol was resynthesized, screened in silico, and tested against Plasmodium, Babesia, Trypanosoma, and Leishmania. In silico Alsinol follows the Lipinski and Ghose rules. In vitro it had schizontocidal activity against Plasmodium falciparum and was able to inhibit gametocytogenesis; it was particularly active against late gametocytes. In malaria-infected mice, it showed a dose-dependent activity similar to chloroquine. It demonstrated a similar level of activity to reference compounds against Babesia divergens, and against promastigotes, and amastigotes stages of Leishmania in vitro. It inhibited the in vitro growth of two African animal strains of Trypanosoma but was ineffective in vivo in our experimental conditions. It showed moderate toxicity in J774A1 and Vero cell models. The study demonstrated that Alsinol has a large spectrum of activity and is potentially affordable to produce. Nevertheless, challenges remain in the process of scaling up synthesis, creating a suitable clinical formulation, and determining the safety margin in preclinical models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria H Arias
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Farmacia, Grupo de Investigación FaMeTra (Farmacología de la Medicina Tradicional y Popular), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Carrera 30 45-03, Bogotá D.C., 111321, Colombia
| | - Miguel Quiliano
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Centre for Research and Innovation, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC), 15023, Lima, Peru
| | - Sandra Bourgeade-Delmas
- UMR 152 PHARMA-DEV, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement IRD, Université de Toulouse UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Isabelle Fabing
- Laboratoire de Synthèse et Physicochimie de Molécules d'Intérêt Biologique (SPCMIB), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 31062, Cedex 09, Toulouse, France
| | - Isabelle Chantal
- UMR INTERTRYP, CIRAD, F-34398, Montpellier, France.,INTERTRYP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - David Berthier
- UMR INTERTRYP, CIRAD, F-34398, Montpellier, France.,INTERTRYP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Cécile Minet
- UMR INTERTRYP, CIRAD, F-34398, Montpellier, France.,INTERTRYP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Veronique Eparvier
- ICSN-CNRS UPR 2301 Équipe "Métabolites de végétaux et micro-organismes associés: isolement, synthèse et bioactivité", 91198 cedex, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Jonathan Sorres
- ICSN-CNRS UPR 2301 Équipe "Métabolites de végétaux et micro-organismes associés: isolement, synthèse et bioactivité", 91198 cedex, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Didier Stien
- Laboratoire de Biodiversité et Biotechnologie Microbienne, LBBM, Observatoire Océanologique, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 66650, Banyuls-sur-mer, France
| | - Silvia Galiano
- Facultad de Farmacia y Nutrición, Departamento de Química Orgánica y Farmacéutica, Universidad de Navarra, Campus Universitario, 31008, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Aldana
- Facultad de Farmacia y Nutrición, Departamento de Química Orgánica y Farmacéutica, Universidad de Navarra, Campus Universitario, 31008, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Alexis Valentin
- UMR 152 PHARMA-DEV, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement IRD, Université de Toulouse UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Giovanny Garavito
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Farmacia, Grupo de Investigación FaMeTra (Farmacología de la Medicina Tradicional y Popular), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Carrera 30 45-03, Bogotá D.C., 111321, Colombia.
| | - Eric Deharo
- UMR 152 PHARMA-DEV, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement IRD, Université de Toulouse UPS, Toulouse, France.,Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Représentation IRD Ban Nasay, Saysettha District, P.O. Box 5992, Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic
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6
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Rizk MA, El-Sayed SAES, Nassif M, Mosqueda J, Xuan X, Igarashi I. Assay methods for in vitro and in vivo anti-Babesia drug efficacy testing: Current progress, outlook, and challenges. Vet Parasitol 2019; 279:109013. [PMID: 32070899 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2019.109013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Absence of an effective high-throughput drug-screening system for Babesia parasites is considered one of the main causes for the presence of a wide gap in the treatment of animal babesiosis when compared with other hemoprotozoan diseases, such as malaria. Recently, a simple, accurate, and automatic fluorescence assay was established for large-scale anti-Babesia (B. bovis, B. bigemina, B. divergens, B. caballi and T. equi) drug screening. Such development will facilitate anti-Babesia drug discovery, especially in the post-genomic era, which will bring new chemotherapy targets with the completion of the Babesia genome sequencing project currently in progress. In this review, we present the current progress in the various assays for in vitro and in vivo anti-Babesia drug testing, as well as the challenges, highlighting new insights into the future of anti-Babesia drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Abdo Rizk
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan; Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Shimaa Abd El-Salam El-Sayed
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan; Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry of Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Medhat Nassif
- Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt
| | - Juan Mosqueda
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Avenida de las Ciencias s/n, 76230, Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Xuenan Xuan
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Ikuo Igarashi
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan.
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7
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Sun W, He S, Martínez-Romero C, Kouznetsova J, Tawa G, Xu M, Shinn P, Fisher E, Long Y, Motabar O, Yang S, Sanderson PE, Williamson PR, García-Sastre A, Qiu X, Zheng W. Synergistic drug combination effectively blocks Ebola virus infection. Antiviral Res 2017; 137:165-172. [PMID: 27890675 PMCID: PMC5182099 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2016.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Revised: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Although a group of FDA-approved drugs were previously identified with activity against Ebola virus (EBOV), most of them are not clinically useful because their human blood concentrations are not high enough to inhibit EBOV infection. We screened 795 unique three-drug combinations in an EBOV entry assay. Two sets of three-drug combinations, toremifene-mefloquine-posaconazole and toremifene-clarithromycin-posaconazole, were identified that effectively blocked EBOV entry and were further validated for inhibition of live EBOV infection. The individual drug concentrations in the combinations were reduced to clinically relevant levels. We identified mechanisms of action of these drugs: functional inhibitions of Niemann-Pick C1, acid sphingomyelinase, and lysosomal calcium release. Our findings identify the drug combinations with potential to treat EBOV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Sun
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
| | - Shihua He
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3R2, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 0J9, Canada
| | - Carles Martínez-Romero
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jennifer Kouznetsova
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
| | - Gregory Tawa
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
| | - Miao Xu
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
| | - Paul Shinn
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
| | - Ethan Fisher
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
| | - Yan Long
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
| | - Omid Motabar
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
| | - Shu Yang
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
| | - Philip E. Sanderson
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
| | - Peter R. Williamson
- Laboratory of Clinical Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Adolfo García-Sastre
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Xiangguo Qiu
- Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3R2, Canada
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 0J9, Canada
| | - Wei Zheng
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 9800 Medical Center Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA
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8
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Identification and characterization of profilin antigen among Babesia species as a common vaccine candidate against babesiosis. Exp Parasitol 2016; 166:29-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2016.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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9
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Sojka D, Hartmann D, Bartošová-Sojková P, Dvořák J. Parasite Cathepsin D-Like Peptidases and Their Relevance as Therapeutic Targets. Trends Parasitol 2016; 32:708-723. [PMID: 27344362 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2016.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Revised: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Inhibition of aspartic cathepsin D-like peptidases (APDs) has been often discussed as an antiparasite intervention strategy. APDs have been considered as virulence factors of Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania spp., and have been demonstrated to have important roles in protein trafficking mechanisms of apicomplexan parasites. APDs also initiate blood digestion as components of multienzyme proteolytic complexes in malaria, platyhelminths, nematodes, and ticks. Increasing DNA and RNA sequencing data indicate that parasites express multiple APD isoenzymes of various functions that can now be specifically evaluated using new functional-genomic and biochemical tools, from which we can further assess the potential of APDs as targets for novel effective intervention strategies against parasitic diseases that still pose an alarming threat to mankind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Sojka
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice 370 05, Czech Republic.
| | - David Hartmann
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice 370 05, Czech Republic
| | - Pavla Bartošová-Sojková
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice 370 05, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Dvořák
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 14220, Czech Republic; Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague 16610, Czech Republic; School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK
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10
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Munkhjargal T, Ishizaki T, Guswanto A, Takemae H, Yokoyama N, Igarashi I. Molecular and biochemical characterization of methionine aminopeptidase of Babesia bovis as a potent drug target. Vet Parasitol 2016; 221:14-23. [PMID: 27084466 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Revised: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Aminopeptidases are increasingly being investigated as therapeutic targets in various diseases. In this study, we cloned, expressed, and biochemically characterized a member of the methionine aminopeptidase (MAP) family from Babesia bovis (B. bovis) to develop a potential molecular drug target. Recombinant B. bovis MAP (rBvMAP) was expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) as a glutathione S-transferase (GST)-fusion protein, and we found that it was antigenic. An antiserum against the rBvMAP protein was generated in mice, and then a native B. bovis MAP was identified in B. bovis by Western blot assay. Further, an immunolocalization assay showed that MAP is present in the cytoplasm of the B. bovis merozoite. Analysis of the biochemical properties of rBvMAP revealed that it was enzymatically active, with optimum activity at pH 7.5. Enhanced enzymatic activity was observed in the presence of divalent manganese cations and was effectively inhibited by a metal chelator, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). Moreover, the enzymatic activity of BvMAP was inhibited by amastatin and bestatin as inhibitors of MAP (MAPi) in a dose-dependent manner. Importantly, MAPi was also found to significantly inhibit the growth of Babesia parasites both in vitro and in vivo; additionally, they induced high levels of cytokines and immunoglobulin (IgG) titers in the host. Therefore, our results suggest that BvMAP is a molecular target of amastatin and bestatin, and those inhibitors may be drug candidates for the treatment of babesiosis, though more studies are required to confirm this.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tserendorj Munkhjargal
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan; Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Zaisan 17042, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Takahiro Ishizaki
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
| | - Azirwan Guswanto
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Takemae
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
| | - Naoaki Yokoyama
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
| | - Ikuo Igarashi
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
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11
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Omar MA, Salama A, Elsify A, Rizk MA, Al-Aboody MS, AbouLaila M, El-Sayed SAES, Igarashi I. Evaluation of in vitro inhibitory effect of enoxacin on Babesia and Theileria parasites. Exp Parasitol 2015; 161:62-7. [PMID: 26724376 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2015.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Revised: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 12/22/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Enoxacin is a broad-spectrum 6-fluoronaphthyridinone antibacterial agent (fluoroquinolones) structurally related to nalidixic acid used mainly in the treatment of urinary tract infections and gonorrhea. Also it has been shown recently that it may have cancer inhibiting effect. The primary antibabesial effect of Enoxacin is due to inhibition of DNA gyrase subunit A, and DNA topoisomerase. In the present study, enoxacin was tested as a potent inhibitor against the in vitro growth of bovine and equine Piroplasms. The in vitro growth of five Babesia species that were tested was significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) by micro molar concentrations of enoxacin (IC50 values = 33.5, 15.2, 7.5 and 23.2 μM for Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina, Babesia caballi, and Theileria equi, respectively). Enoxacin IC50 values for Babesia and Theileria parasites were satisfactory as the drug is potent antibacterial drug with minimum side effects. Therefore, enoxacin might be used for treatment of Babesiosis and Theileriosis especially in case of mixed infections with bacterial diseases or incase of animal sensitivity against diminazin toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mosaab A Omar
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, SouthValley University, Qena 83523, Egypt; Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Science Al-Zulfi, AlMajmaah University, Alzulfi 11932, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Akram Salama
- Department of Animal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Sadat City 32897, Minoufiya, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Elsify
- Department of Animal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Sadat City 32897, Minoufiya, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Abdo Rizk
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan; Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Mohammad Saleh Al-Aboody
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Science Al-Zulfi, AlMajmaah University, Alzulfi 11932, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mahmoud AbouLaila
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sadat City University, Sadat City 32897, Minoufiya, Egypt
| | - Shimaa Abd El-Salam El-Sayed
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan; Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry of Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Ikuo Igarashi
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
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Pedroni MJ, Vidadala RSR, Choi R, Keyloun KR, Reid MC, Murphy RC, Barrett LK, Van Voorhis WC, Maly DJ, Ojo KK, Lau AOT. Bumped kinase inhibitor prohibits egression in Babesia bovis. Vet Parasitol 2015; 215:22-8. [PMID: 26790733 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2015] [Revised: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Babesiosis is a global zoonotic disease acquired by the bite of a Babesia-infected Ixodes tick or through blood transfusion with clinical relevance affecting humans and animals. In this study, we evaluated a series of small molecule compounds that have previously been shown to target specific apicomplexan enzymes in Plasmodium, Toxoplasma and Cryptosporidium. The compounds, bumped kinase inhibitors (BKIs), have strong therapeutic potential targeting apicomplexa-specific calcium dependent protein kinases (CDPKs). We investigated if BKIs also show inhibitory activities against piroplasms such as Babesia. Using a subset of BKIs that have promising inhibitory activities to Plasmodium and Toxoplasma, we determined that their actions ranged from 100% and no inhibition against Babesia bovis blood stages. One specific BKI, RM-1-152, showed complete inhibition against B. bovis within 48h and was the only BKI that showed noticeable phenotypic changes to the parasites. Focusing our study on this BKI, we further demonstrated that RM-1-152 has Babesia-static activity and involves the prohibition of merozoite egress while replication and re-invasion of host cells are unaffected. The distinct, abnormal phenotype induced by RM-1-152 suggests that this BKI can be used to investigate less studied cellular processes such as egression in piroplasm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica J Pedroni
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | | | - Ryan Choi
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Center of Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID), University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Katelyn R Keyloun
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Center of Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID), University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Molly C Reid
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Center of Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID), University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ryan C Murphy
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lynn K Barrett
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Center of Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID), University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Wesley C Van Voorhis
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Center of Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID), University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Dustin J Maly
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kayode K Ojo
- Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Center of Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases (CERID), University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Audrey O T Lau
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
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13
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Hines SA, Ramsay JD, Kappmeyer LS, Lau AO, Ojo KK, Van Voorhis WC, Knowles DP, Mealey RH. Theileria equi isolates vary in susceptibility to imidocarb dipropionate but demonstrate uniform in vitro susceptibility to a bumped kinase inhibitor. Parasit Vectors 2015; 8:33. [PMID: 25600252 PMCID: PMC4311422 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-014-0611-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2014] [Accepted: 12/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The apicomplexan hemoparasite Theileria equi is a causative agent of equine piroplasmosis, eradicated from the United States in 1988. However, recent outbreaks have sparked renewed interest in treatment options for infected horses. Imidocarb dipropionate is the current drug of choice, however variation in clinical response to therapy has been observed. Methods We quantified the in vitro susceptibility of two T. equi isolates and a lab generated variant to both imidocarb dipropionate and a bumped kinase inhibitor compound 1294. We also evaluated the capacity of in vitro imidocarb dipropionate exposure to decrease susceptibility to that drug. The efficacy of imidocarb dipropionate for clearing infection in four T. equi infected ponies was also assessed. Results We observed an almost four-fold difference in imidocarb dipropionate susceptibility between two distinct isolates of T. equi. Four ponies infected with the less susceptible USDA Florida strain failed to clear the parasite despite two rounds of treatment. Importantly, a further 15-fold decrease in susceptibility was produced in this strain by continuous in vitro imidocarb dipropionate exposure. Despite a demonstrated difference in imidocarb dipropionate susceptibility, there was no difference in the susceptibility of two T. equi isolates to bumped kinase inhibitor 1294. Conclusions The observed variation in imidocarb dipropionate susceptibility, further reduction in susceptibility caused by drug exposure in vitro, and failure to clear T. equi infection in vivo, raises concern for the emergence of drug resistance in clinical cases undergoing treatment. Bumped kinase inhibitors may be effective as alternative drugs for the treatment of resistant T. equi parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddra A Hines
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-7040, USA.
| | - Joshua D Ramsay
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-7040, USA.
| | - Lowell S Kappmeyer
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-7040, USA. .,Animal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Pullman, WA, 99164-6630, USA.
| | - Audrey Ot Lau
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-7040, USA.
| | - Kayode K Ojo
- Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98109-4766, USA.
| | - Wesley C Van Voorhis
- Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98109-4766, USA.
| | - Donald P Knowles
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-7040, USA. .,Animal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Pullman, WA, 99164-6630, USA.
| | - Robert H Mealey
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-7040, USA.
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