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Meira RDMV, Gomes SLDS, Schaeffer E, Da Silva T, Brito ACDS, Siqueira LM, Inácio JD, Almeida-Amaral EE, Da-Cruz AM, Bezerra-Paiva M, Neves RH, Rodrigues LS, Dutra PML, Costa PRR, da Silva AJM, Da-Silva SAG. Low doses of 3-phenyl-lawsone or meglumine antimoniate delivery by tattooing route are successful in reducing parasite load in cutaneous lesions of Leishmania ( Viannia) braziliensis-infected hamsters. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1025359. [PMID: 36743305 PMCID: PMC9892647 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1025359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Current therapeutic ways adopted for the treatment of leishmaniasis are toxic and expensive including parasite resistance is a growing problem. Given this scenario, it is urgent to explore treatment alternatives for leishmaniasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 3-phenyl-lawsone (3-PL) naphthoquinone on Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis infection, both in vitro and in vivo, using two local routes of administration: subcutaneous (higher dose) and tattoo (lower dose). In vitro 3-PL showed low toxicity for macrophages (CC50 >3200 µM/48h) and activity against intracellular amastigotes (IC50 = 193 ± 19 µM/48h) and promastigotes (IC50 = 116 ± 26 µM/72h), in which induced increased ROS generation. Additionally, 3-PL up-regulated the production of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 in infected macrophages. However, the anti-amastigote action was independent of nitric oxide production. Treatment of hamsters infected with L. (V.) braziliensis from one week after infection with 3-PL by subcutaneous (25 µg/Kg) or tattooing (2.5 µg/Kg) route, during 3 weeks (3 times/week) or 2 weeks (2 times/week) significantly decreased the parasite load (p<0.001) in the lesion. The reduction of parasite load by 3-PL treatment was comparable to reference drug meglumine antimoniate administered by the same routes (subcutaneous 1mg/Kg and tattoo 0.1mg/Kg). In addition, treatment started from five weeks after infection with 3-PL per tattoo also decreased the parasite load. These results show the anti-leishmanial effect of 3-PL against L. (V.) braziliensis and its efficacy by subcutaneous (higher dose) and tattoo (lower dose) routes. In addition, this study shows that drug delivery by tattooing the lesion allows the use of lower doses than the conventional subcutaneous route, which may support the development of a new therapeutic strategy that can be adopted for leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara Lins da Silva Gomes
- Laboratório de Catálise Orgânica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Edgar Schaeffer
- Laboratório de Catálise Orgânica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thayssa Da Silva
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia Parasitária, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Larissa Moreira Siqueira
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia Parasitária, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Job Domingos Inácio
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Alda Maria Da-Cruz
- Disciplina de Parasitologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Milla Bezerra-Paiva
- Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Renata Heisler Neves
- Laboratório de Helmintologia Romero Lascasas Porto, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luciana Silva Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Silvia Amaral Gonçalves Da-Silva
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia Parasitária, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,*Correspondence: Silvia Amaral Gonçalves Da-Silva,
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dos Santos RF, Da Silva T, Brito ACDS, Inácio JD, Ventura BD, Mendes MAP, Azevedo BF, Siqueira LM, Almeida-Amaral EE, Dutra PML, Da-Silva SAG. Therapeutic effect of oral quercetin in hamsters infected with Leishmania Viannia braziliensis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 12:1059168. [PMID: 36710981 PMCID: PMC9880276 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1059168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by several species of intracellular protozoa of the genus Leishmania that present manifestations ranging from cutaneous ulcers to the fatal visceral form. Leishmania Viannia braziliensis is an important species associated with American tegumentary leishmaniasis and the main agent in Brazil, with variable sensitivity to available drugs. The search for new therapeutic alternatives to treat leishmaniasis is an urgent need, especially for endemic countries. Not only is quercetin well known for its antioxidant activity in radical scavenging but also several other biological effects are described, including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and pro-oxidant activities. This study aimed to investigate the flavonoid quercetin's therapeutic potential in L. (V.) braziliensis infection. Quercetin showed antiamastigote (IC50 of 21 ± 2.5 µM) and antipromastigote (25 ± 0.7 µM) activities and a selectivity index of 22. The treatment of uninfected or L. (V.) braziliensis-infected macrophages with quercetin increased reactive oxygen species (ROS)/H202 generation without altering Nitric Oxide (NO) production. Oral treatment with quercetin of infected hamsters, starting at 1 week of infection for 8 weeks, reduced the lesion thickness (p > 0.01) and parasite load (p > 0.001). The results of this study suggest that the antiamastigote activity of the flavonoid quercetin in vitro is associated, at least in part, with the modulation of ROS production by macrophages. The efficacy of oral quercetin treatment in hamsters infected with L. (V.) braziliensis was presented for the first time and shows its promising therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosiane Freire dos Santos
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia Parasitária, Disciplina de Parasitologia/Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Thayssa Da Silva
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia Parasitária, Disciplina de Parasitologia/Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Andréia Carolinne de Souza Brito
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia Parasitária, Disciplina de Parasitologia/Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Job Domingos Inácio
- Laboratório de Bioquímica de Tripanossomatídeos, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Bianca Domingues Ventura
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia Parasitária, Disciplina de Parasitologia/Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Michely Aparecida Polido Mendes
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia Parasitária, Disciplina de Parasitologia/Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Bruno Fonseca Azevedo
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia Parasitária, Disciplina de Parasitologia/Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Larissa Moreira Siqueira
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia Parasitária, Disciplina de Parasitologia/Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Patrícia Maria Lourenço Dutra
- Laboratório de Imunofisiologia do Exercício, Disciplina de Parasitologia/Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Silvia Amaral Gonçalves Da-Silva
- Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia Parasitária, Disciplina de Parasitologia/Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Andrade-Neto VV, da Silva Pacheco J, Inácio JD, Almeida-Amaral EE, Torres-Santos EC, Cunha-Junior EF. Efficacy of Spironolactone Treatment in Murine Models of Cutaneous and Visceral Leishmaniasis. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:636265. [PMID: 33927619 PMCID: PMC8077169 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.636265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Translational studies involving the reuse and association of drugs are approaches that can result in higher success rates in the discovery and development of drugs for serious public health problems, including leishmaniasis. If we consider the number of pathogenic species in relation to therapeutic options, this arsenal is still small, and each drug possesses a disadvantage in terms of toxicity, efficacy, price, or treatment regimen. In the search for new drugs, we performed a drug screening of L. amazonensis promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes of fifty available drugs belonging to several classes according to their pharmacophoric group. Spironolactone, a potassium-sparing diuretic, proved to be the most promising drug candidate. After demonstrating the in vitro antileishmanial activity, we evaluated the efficacy on a murine experimental model with L. amazonensis and L. infantum. The treatment controlled the cutaneous lesion and reduced the parasite burden of L. amazonensis significantly, as effectively as meglumine antimoniate. The treatment of experimental visceral leishmaniasis was effective in reducing the parasite load on the main affected organs (spleen and liver) via high doses of spironolactone. The association between spironolactone and meglumine antimoniate promoted better control of the parasite load in the spleen and liver compared to the group treated with meglumine antimoniate alone. These results reveal a possible benefit of the concomitant use of spironolactone and meglumine antimoniate that should be studied more in depth for the future possibility of repositioning for leishmaniasis co-therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valter Viana Andrade-Neto
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Juliana da Silva Pacheco
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Job Domingos Inácio
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Elmo Eduardo Almeida-Amaral
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Caio Torres-Santos
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Edezio Ferreira Cunha-Junior
- Laboratorio de Bioquímica de Tripanosomatídeos, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Unidade Integrada de Pesquisa em Produtos Bioativos e Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Campus UFRJ-Macaé, Macaé, Brazil
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