1
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Hartman CB, Dube PS, Legoabe LJ, Van Pelt N, Matheeussen A, Caljon G, Beteck RM. Novel quinoline derivatives with broad-spectrum antiprotozoal activities. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2024; 357:e2300319. [PMID: 38396284 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202300319] [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: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Several quinoline derivatives incorporating arylnitro and aminochalcone moieties were synthesized and evaluated in vitro against a broad panel of trypanosomatid protozoan parasites responsible for sleeping sickness (Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense), nagana (Trypanosoma brucei brucei), Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi), and leishmaniasis (Leishmania infantum). Several of the compounds demonstrated significant antiprotozoal activity. Specifically, compounds 2c, 2d, and 4i displayed submicromolar activity against T. b. rhodesiense with half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) values of 0.68, 0.8, and 0.19 µM, respectively, and with a high selectivity relative to human lung fibroblasts and mouse primary macrophages (∼100-fold). Compounds 2d and 4i also showed considerable activity against T. b. brucei with EC50 values of 1.4 and 0.4 µM, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla B Hartman
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Phelelisiwe S Dube
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Lesetja J Legoabe
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Natascha Van Pelt
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - An Matheeussen
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Guy Caljon
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Parasitology and Hygiene, Infla-Med Centre of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Richard M Beteck
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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2
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Salem FM, Martin WR, Zhao X, Adbus Sayeed SK, Ighneim S, Greene M, Mohamed E, Orahoske CM, Zhang W, Li B, Su B. Synthesis and biological evaluation of orally active anti-Trypanosoma agents. Bioorg Med Chem 2024; 107:117751. [PMID: 38762979 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2024.117751] [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: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
In previous studies, we developed anti-trypanosome tubulin inhibitors with promising in vitro selectivity and activity against Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT). However, for such agents, oral activity is crucial. This study focused on further optimizing these compounds to enhance their ligand efficiency, aiming to reduce bulkiness and hydrophobicity, which should improve solubility and, consequently, oral bioavailability. Using Trypanosoma brucei brucei cells as the parasite model and human normal kidney cells and mouse macrophage cells as the host model, we evaluated 30 new analogs synthesized through combinatorial chemistry. These analogs have fewer aromatic moieties and lower molecular weights than their predecessors. Several new analogs demonstrated IC50s in the low micromolar range, effectively inhibiting trypanosome cell growth without harming mammalian cells at the same concentration. We conducted a detailed structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis and a docking study to assess the compounds' binding affinity to trypanosome tubulin homolog. The results revealed a correlation between binding energy and anti-Trypanosoma activity. Importantly, compound 7 displayed significant oral activity, effectively inhibiting trypanosome cell proliferation in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatma M Salem
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
| | - William R Martin
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA; Genomic Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Genome Center, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Xiaotong Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
| | - S K Adbus Sayeed
- Department of Biology, Geo. & Env. Sciences, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
| | - Sabreena Ighneim
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
| | - McKenna Greene
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
| | - Eman Mohamed
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
| | - Cody M Orahoske
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
| | - Wenjing Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA
| | - Bibo Li
- Department of Biology, Geo. & Env. Sciences, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA.
| | - Bin Su
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Arts and Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115, USA.
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3
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Wudarski J, Aliabadi S, Gulia-Nuss M. Arthropod promoters for genetic control of disease vectors. Trends Parasitol 2024:S1471-4922(24)00093-X. [PMID: 38824066 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.04.011] [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: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) impose devastating effects on human health and a heavy financial burden. Malaria, Lyme disease, and dengue fever are just a few examples of VBDs that cause severe illnesses. The current strategies to control VBDs consist mainly of environmental modification and chemical use, and to a small extent, genetic approaches. The genetic approaches, including transgenesis/genome modification and gene-drive technologies, provide the basis for developing new tools for VBD prevention by suppressing vector populations or reducing their capacity to transmit pathogens. The regulatory elements such as promoters are required for a robust sex-, tissue-, and stage-specific transgene expression. As discussed in this review, information on the regulatory elements is available for mosquito vectors but is scant for other vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Wudarski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Simindokht Aliabadi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Monika Gulia-Nuss
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA.
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4
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Chen W, Zou R, Mei Y, Li J, Xuan Y, Cui B, Zou J, Wang J, Lin S, Zhang Z, Wang C. Structural insights into drug transport by an aquaglyceroporin. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3985. [PMID: 38734677 PMCID: PMC11088622 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48445-4] [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: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Pentamidine and melarsoprol are primary drugs used to treat the lethal human sleeping sickness caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Cross-resistance to these two drugs has recently been linked to aquaglyceroporin 2 of the trypanosome (TbAQP2). TbAQP2 is the first member of the aquaporin family described as capable of drug transport; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we present cryo-electron microscopy structures of TbAQP2 bound to pentamidine or melarsoprol. Our structural studies, together with the molecular dynamic simulations, reveal the mechanisms shaping substrate specificity and drug permeation. Multiple amino acids in TbAQP2, near the extracellular entrance and inside the pore, create an expanded conducting tunnel, sterically and energetically allowing the permeation of pentamidine and melarsoprol. Our study elucidates the mechanism of drug transport by TbAQP2, providing valuable insights to inform the design of drugs against trypanosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanbiao Chen
- Center for Human Tissues and Organs Degeneration, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 581055, China
| | - Rongfeng Zou
- Shenzhen Jingtai Technology Co., Ltd. (XtalPi), Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Yi Mei
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, China
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, China
| | - Jiawei Li
- Center for Human Tissues and Organs Degeneration, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 581055, China
- Department of Geriatric Medicine, Shenzhen Longhua District Central Hospital, Shenzhen, 518110, China
| | - Yumi Xuan
- Center for Human Tissues and Organs Degeneration, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 581055, China
| | - Bing Cui
- Center for Human Tissues and Organs Degeneration, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 581055, China
- School of Basic Medicine and Clinical Pharmacy, and State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 210009, China
| | - Junjie Zou
- Shenzhen Jingtai Technology Co., Ltd. (XtalPi), Shenzhen, 518000, China
| | - Juncheng Wang
- Advanced Medical Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shaoquan Lin
- Centre for Polymers in Medicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenzhen, 581055, China
| | - Zhe Zhang
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, China.
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, China.
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221004, China.
| | - Chongyuan Wang
- Center for Human Tissues and Organs Degeneration, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 581055, China.
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5
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Abbasi Shiran J, Kaboudin B, Panahi N, Razzaghi-Asl N. Privileged small molecules against neglected tropical diseases: A perspective from structure activity relationships. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 271:116396. [PMID: 38643671 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116396] [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: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) comprise diverse infections with more incidence in tropical/sub-tropical areas. In spite of preventive and therapeutic achievements, NTDs are yet serious threats to the public health. Epidemiological reports of world health organization (WHO) indicate that more than 1.5 billion people are afflicted with at least one NTD type. Among NTDs, leishmaniasis, chagas disease (CD) and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) result in substantial morbidity and death, particularly within impoverished countries. The statistical facts call for robust efforts to manage the NTDs. Currently, most of the anti-NTD drugs are engaged with drug resistance, lack of efficient vaccines, limited spectrum of pharmacological effect and adverse reactions. To circumvent the issue, numerous scientific efforts have been directed to the synthesis and pharmacological development of chemical compounds as anti-infectious agents. A survey of the anti-NTD agents reveals that the majority of them possess privileged nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen-based heterocyclic structures. In this review, recent achievements in anti-infective small molecules against parasitic NTDs are described, particularly from the SAR (Structure activity relationship) perspective. We also explore current advocating strategies to extend the scope of anti-NTD agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Abbasi Shiran
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, PO Code: 5618953141, Iran
| | - B Kaboudin
- Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Zanjan, Iran
| | - N Panahi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - N Razzaghi-Asl
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, PO Code: 5618953141, Iran; Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran.
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6
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Carey SM, O’Neill DM, Conner GB, Sherman J, Rodriguez A, D’Antonio EL. Discovery of Strong 3-Nitro-2-Phenyl- 2H-Chromene Analogues as Antitrypanosomal Agents and Inhibitors of Trypanosoma cruzi Glucokinase. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4319. [PMID: 38673904 PMCID: PMC11050443 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084319] [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: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease is one of the world's neglected tropical diseases, caused by the human pathogenic protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. There is currently a lack of effective and tolerable clinically available therapeutics to treat this life-threatening illness and the discovery of modern alternative options is an urgent matter. T. cruzi glucokinase (TcGlcK) is a potential drug target because its product, d-glucose-6-phosphate, serves as a key metabolite in the pentose phosphate pathway, glycolysis, and gluconeogenesis. In 2019, we identified a novel cluster of TcGlcK inhibitors that also exhibited anti-T. cruzi efficacy called the 3-nitro-2-phenyl-2H-chromene analogues. This was achieved by performing a target-based high-throughput screening (HTS) campaign of 13,040 compounds. The selection criteria were based on first determining which compounds strongly inhibited TcGlcK in a primary screen, followed by establishing on-target confirmed hits from a confirmatory assay. Compounds that exhibited notable in vitro trypanocidal activity over the T. cruzi infective form (trypomastigotes and intracellular amastigotes) co-cultured in NIH-3T3 mammalian host cells, as well as having revealed low NIH-3T3 cytotoxicity, were further considered. Compounds GLK2-003 and GLK2-004 were determined to inhibit TcGlcK quite well with IC50 values of 6.1 µM and 4.8 µM, respectively. Illuminated by these findings, we herein screened a small compound library consisting of thirteen commercially available 3-nitro-2-phenyl-2H-chromene analogues, two of which were GLK2-003 and GLK2-004 (compounds 1 and 9, respectively). Twelve of these compounds had a one-point change from the chemical structure of GLK2-003. The analogues were run through a similar primary screening and confirmatory assay protocol to our previous HTS campaign. Subsequently, three in vitro biological assays were performed where compounds were screened against (a) T. cruzi (Tulahuen strain) infective form co-cultured within NIH-3T3 cells, (b) T. brucei brucei (427 strain) bloodstream form, and (c) NIH-3T3 host cells alone. We report on the TcGlcK inhibitor constant determinations, mode of enzyme inhibition, in vitro antitrypanosomal IC50 determinations, and an assessment of structure-activity relationships. Our results reveal that the 3-nitro-2-phenyl-2H-chromene scaffold holds promise and can be further optimized for both Chagas disease and human African trypanosomiasis early-stage drug discovery research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane M. Carey
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina Beaufort, 1 University Boulevard, Bluffton, SC 29909, USA
| | - Destiny M. O’Neill
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina Beaufort, 1 University Boulevard, Bluffton, SC 29909, USA
| | - Garrett B. Conner
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina Beaufort, 1 University Boulevard, Bluffton, SC 29909, USA
| | - Julian Sherman
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA (A.R.)
| | - Ana Rodriguez
- Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, 430 East 29th Street, New York, NY 10016, USA (A.R.)
| | - Edward L. D’Antonio
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of South Carolina Beaufort, 1 University Boulevard, Bluffton, SC 29909, USA
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7
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Carrillo AK, Kadayat TM, Hwang JY, Chen Y, Zhu F, Holbrook G, Gillingwater K, Connelly MC, Yang L, Kaiser M, Guy RK. Antitrypanosomal Chloronitrobenzamides. J Med Chem 2024; 67:3437-3447. [PMID: 38363074 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), a neglected tropical disease caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (Tbg) or Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (Tbr), remains a significant public health concern with over 55 million people at risk of infection. Current treatments for HAT face the challenges of poor efficacy, drug resistance, and toxicity. This study presents the synthesis and evaluation of chloronitrobenzamides (CNBs) against Trypanosoma species, identifying previously reported compound 52 as a potent and selective orally bioavailable antitrypanosomal agent. 52 was well tolerated in vivo and demonstrated favorable oral pharmacokinetics, maintaining plasma concentrations surpassing the cellular EC50 for over 24 h and achieving peak brain concentrations exceeding 7 μM in rodents after single oral administration (50 mg/kg). Treatment with 52 significantly extended the lifespan of mice infected with Trypanosoma congolense and T. brucei rhodesiense. These results demonstrate that 52 is a strong antitrypanosomal lead with potential for developing treatments for both human and animal African trypanosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela K Carrillo
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Tara Man Kadayat
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536-0509, United States
| | - Jong Yeon Hwang
- Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, Daejeon, KR 34114, United States
| | - Yizhe Chen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536-0509, United States
| | - Fangyi Zhu
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Gloria Holbrook
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Kirsten Gillingwater
- Department of Medical Parasitology & Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwil 4123, Switzerland
| | - Michele C Connelly
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Lei Yang
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
| | - Marcel Kaiser
- Department of Medical Parasitology & Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwil 4123, Switzerland
- Faculty of Science, University of Basel, Petersplatz 1, Basel 4003, Switzerland
| | - R Kiplin Guy
- Department of Chemical Biology and Therapeutics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, United States
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40536-0509, United States
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8
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Ogolla KO, Bwana BK, Mang’era CM, Onyango T, Otiende MY, Ochieng B, Hassanali A, Mugambi JM, Omondi P, Mireji PO. Putative bloodmeal sources in Glossina austeni tsetse fly of Arabuko Sokoke National Reserve in Kenya. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0299243. [PMID: 38446817 PMCID: PMC10917249 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Tsetse flies, the sole biological vectors of trypanosomiasis, are predominantly controlled using visual traps and targets baited with attractant lures. Formulation of the lures is informed by compositions of odors from vertebrate hosts preferred by specific tsetse species. However, there are no effective lures for Glossina austeni, a major vector of trypanosomiasis along eastern-coastal region of Africa. Formulation of the lure can be informed by knowledge of G. austeni, preferred vertebrate hosts. We thus sought to understand these hosts by assessment of putative bloodmeal sources of this tsetse fly in Arabuko Sokoke National Reserve where this species is naturally present. We sampled tsetse flies using NGU traps, isolated non-teneral G. austeni flies based on their feeding status, and identified vertebrate source of bloodmeals in their midgut contents using vertebrate 16S rRNA-PCR High-Resolution Melting analysis. We analyzed the relative vertebrate species frequencies in the bloodmeals using Fisher's exact tests. Overall, we trapped 122 flies, most of which (66.39%) were non-teneral, among which we successfully identified the vertebrate bloodmeals in 30 samples. Specifically, we detected putative suni antelope (Neotragus moschatus), harnessed bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and cattle (Bos taurus) derived bloodmeals. Putative suni antelope bloodmeals were significantly more frequent (63.22%), than those of the harnessed bushbuck (23.33%), buffalo (10.00%) or cattle (3.33%) (p < 0.05 Fisher's exact tests) among the samples analyzed. Suni antelope thus appears to predominate vertebrate bloodmeal source for G. austeni in the reserve, coincident with findings reported elsewhere, and is therefore a viable candidate for bioprospecting for G. austeni responsive attractants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kennedy O. Ogolla
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and, Livestock Research Organization, Kikuyu, Kenya
| | - Billiah K. Bwana
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and, Livestock Research Organization, Kikuyu, Kenya
| | - Clarence M. Mang’era
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Egerton University, Njoro, Kenya
| | - Tevin Onyango
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Naivasha, Kenya
| | | | - Benard Ochieng
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Naivasha, Kenya
| | - Ahmed Hassanali
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and, Livestock Research Organization, Kikuyu, Kenya
| | - John M. Mugambi
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and, Livestock Research Organization, Kikuyu, Kenya
| | - Patrick Omondi
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Naivasha, Kenya
| | - Paul O. Mireji
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and, Livestock Research Organization, Kikuyu, Kenya
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9
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Matos ÂP, Saldanha-Corrêa FMP, Gomes RDS, Hurtado GR. Exploring microalgal and cyanobacterial metabolites with antiprotozoal activity against Leishmania and Trypanosoma parasites. Acta Trop 2024; 251:107116. [PMID: 38159713 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107116] [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: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Neglected tropical diseases (NTD) like Leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis affect millions of people annually, while currently used antiprotozoal drugs have serious side effects. Drug research based on natural products has shown that microalgae and cyanobacteria are a promising platform of biochemically active compounds with antiprotozoal activity. These unicellular photosynthetic organisms are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, pigments including phycocyanin, chlorophylls and carotenoids, polyphenols, bioactive peptides, terpenes, alkaloids, which have proven antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antiplasmodial and antiprotozoal properties. This review provides up-to-date information regarding ongoing studies on substances synthesized by microalgae and cyanobacteria with notable activity against Leishmania spp., Trypanosoma cruzi, and Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agents of Leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and human African trypanosomiasis, respectively. Extracts of several freshwater or marine microalgae have been tested on different strains of Leishmania and Trypanosoma parasites. For instance, ethanolic extract of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Tetraselmis suecica have biological activity against T. cruzi, due to their high content of carotenoids, chlorophylls, phenolic compounds and flavonoids that are associated with trypanocidal activity. Halophilic Dunaliella salina showed moderate antileishmanial activity that may be attributed to the high β-carotene content in this microalga. Peptides such as almiramides, dragonamides, and herbamide that are biosynthesized by marine cyanobacteria Lyngbya majuscula were found to have increased activity in micromolar scale IC50 against L. donovani, T. Cruzi, and T. brucei parasites. The cyanobacterial peptides symplocamide and venturamide isolated from Symploca and Oscillatoria species, respectively, and the alkaloid nostocarbonile isolated from Nostoc have shown promising antiprotozoal properties and are being explored for pharmaceutical and medicinal purposes. The discovery of new molecules from microalgae and cyanobacteria with therapeutic potential against Leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis may address an urgent medical need: effective and safe treatments of NTDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ângelo Paggi Matos
- Institute for Advanced Studies of Ocean, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rodovia Presidente Dutra Km 138, Eugênio de Melo, São José dos Campos 12247-004, Brazil.
| | | | - Roberto da Silva Gomes
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58105, United States
| | - Gabriela Ramos Hurtado
- Institute for Advanced Studies of Ocean, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rodovia Presidente Dutra Km 138, Eugênio de Melo, São José dos Campos 12247-004, Brazil; Institute of Science and Technology, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rodovia Presidente Dutra Km 138, Eugênio de Melo, São José dos Campos 12247-004, Brazil.
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10
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Alsharedeh RH, Rezigue M, Bashatwah RM, Amawi H, Aljabali AAA, Obeid MA, Tambuwala MM. Nanomaterials as a Potential Target for Infectious Parasitic Agents. Curr Drug Deliv 2024; 21:828-851. [PMID: 36815647 DOI: 10.2174/1567201820666230223085403] [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: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Despite the technological advancement in the era of personalized medicine and therapeutics development, infectious parasitic causative agents remain one of the most challenging areas of research and development. The disadvantages of conventional parasitic prevention and control are the emergence of multiple drug resistance as well as the non-specific targeting of intracellular parasites, which results in high dose concentration needs and subsequently intolerable cytotoxicity. Nanotechnology has attracted extensive interest to reduce medication therapy adverse effects including poor bioavailability and drug selectivity. Numerous nanomaterials-based delivery systems have previously been shown in animal models to be effective in the treatment of various parasitic infections. This review discusses a variety of nanomaterials-based antiparasitic procedures and techniques as well as the processes that allow them to be targeted to different parasitic infections. This review focuses on the key prerequisites for creating novel nanotechnology-based carriers as a potential option in parasite management, specifically in the context of human-related pathogenic parasitic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rawan H Alsharedeh
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid, 21163, Jordan
| | - Meriem Rezigue
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid, 21163, Jordan
| | - Rasha M Bashatwah
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid, 21163, Jordan
| | - Haneen Amawi
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Alaa A A Aljabali
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid, 21163, Jordan
| | - Mohammad A Obeid
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid, 21163, Jordan
| | - Murtaza M Tambuwala
- Lincoln Medical School, Brayford Pool Campus, University of Lincoln, Lincoln LN6 7TS, United Kingdom
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11
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Giroud M, Kuhn B, Haap W. Drug Discovery Efforts to Identify Novel Treatments for Neglected Tropical Diseases - Cysteine Protease Inhibitors. Curr Med Chem 2024; 31:2170-2194. [PMID: 37916489 DOI: 10.2174/0109298673249097231017051733] [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: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neglected tropical diseases are a severe burden for mankind, affecting an increasing number of people around the globe. Many of those diseases are caused by protozoan parasites in which cysteine proteases play a key role in the parasite's pathogenesis. OBJECTIVE In this review article, we summarize the drug discovery efforts of the research community from 2017 - 2022 with a special focus on the optimization of small molecule cysteine protease inhibitors in terms of selectivity profiles or drug-like properties as well as in vivo studies. The cysteine proteases evaluated by this methodology include Cathepsin B1 from Schistosoma mansoni, papain, cruzain, falcipain, and rhodesain. METHODS Exhaustive literature searches were performed using the keywords "Cysteine Proteases" and "Neglected Tropical Diseases" including the years 2017 - 2022. Overall, approximately 3'000 scientific papers were retrieved, which were filtered using specific keywords enabling the focus on drug discovery efforts. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Potent and selective cysteine protease inhibitors to treat neglected tropical diseases were identified, which progressed to pharmacokinetic and in vivo efficacy studies. As far as the authors are aware of, none of those inhibitors reached the stage of active clinical development. Either the inhibitor's potency or pharmacokinetic properties or safety profile or a combination thereof prevented further development of the compounds. More efforts with particular emphasis on optimizing pharmacokinetic and safety properties are needed, potentially by collaborations of academic and industrial research groups with complementary expertise. Furthermore, new warheads reacting with the catalytic cysteine should be exploited to advance the research field in order to make a meaningful impact on society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maude Giroud
- Pharma Research and Early Development pRED, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Medicinal Chemistry, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Grenzacherstrasse 124, Basel, CH-4070, Switzerland
| | - Bernd Kuhn
- Pharma Research and Early Development pRED, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Medicinal Chemistry, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Grenzacherstrasse 124, Basel, CH-4070, Switzerland
| | - Wolfgang Haap
- Pharma Research and Early Development pRED, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Medicinal Chemistry, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Grenzacherstrasse 124, Basel, CH-4070, Switzerland
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12
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Dera KSM, Dieng MM, Moyaba P, Ouedraogo GMS, Pagabeleguem S, Njokou F, Ngambia Freitas FS, de Beer CJ, Mach RL, Vreysen MJB, Abd-Alla AMM. Prevalence of Spiroplasma and interaction with wild Glossina tachinoides microbiota. Parasite 2023; 30:62. [PMID: 38117272 PMCID: PMC10732139 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2023064] [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: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae) are vectors of the tropical neglected diseases sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in animals. The elimination of these diseases is linked to control of the vector. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an environment-friendly method that has been shown to be effective when applied in an area-wide integrated pest management approach. However, as irradiated males conserve their vectorial competence, there is the potential risk of trypanosome transmission with their release in the field. Analyzing the interaction between the tsetse fly and its microbiota, and between different microbiota and the trypanosome, might provide important information to enhance the fly's resistance to trypanosome infection. This study on the prevalence of Spiroplasma in wild populations of seven tsetse species from East, West, Central and Southern Africa showed that Spiroplasma is present only in Glossina fuscipes fuscipes and Glossina tachinoides. In G. tachinoides, a significant deviation from independence in co-infection with Spiroplasma and Trypanosoma spp. was observed. Moreover, Spiroplasma infections seem to significantly reduce the density of the trypanosomes, suggesting that Spiroplasma might enhance tsetse fly's refractoriness to the trypanosome infections. This finding might be useful to reduce risks associated with the release of sterile males during SIT implementation in trypanosome endemic areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiswend-Sida M Dera
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
- Insectarium de Bobo Dioulasso – Campagne d’Eradication de la mouche tsetse et de la Trypanosomose (IBD-CETT) 01 BP 1087 Bobo Dioulasso 01 Burkina Faso
| | - Mouhamadou M Dieng
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
- Université Gaston Berger Saint Louis Senegal
| | - Percy Moyaba
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR) Pretoria South Africa
| | - Gisele MS Ouedraogo
- Insectarium de Bobo Dioulasso – Campagne d’Eradication de la mouche tsetse et de la Trypanosomose (IBD-CETT) 01 BP 1087 Bobo Dioulasso 01 Burkina Faso
| | - Soumaïla Pagabeleguem
- Insectarium de Bobo Dioulasso – Campagne d’Eradication de la mouche tsetse et de la Trypanosomose (IBD-CETT) 01 BP 1087 Bobo Dioulasso 01 Burkina Faso
- University of Dedougou B.P. 176 Dédougou 01 Burkina Faso
| | - Flobert Njokou
- Laboratory of Parasitology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaounde I Po. Box 812 Yaoundé Cameroon
| | | | - Chantel J de Beer
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
| | - Robert L Mach
- Institute of Chemical, Environmental, and Bioscience Engineering, Research Area Biochemical Technology, Vienna University of Technology, Gumpendorfer Straße 1a 1060 Vienna Austria
| | - Marc JB Vreysen
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
| | - Adly MM Abd-Alla
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture 1400 Vienna Austria
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13
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Ndungu K, Thuita J, Murilla G, Kagira J, Auma J, Mireji P, Ngae G, Okumu P, Gitonga P, Guya S, Mdachi R. The pathogenicity of blood stream and central nervous system forms of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense trypanosomes in laboratory mice: a comparative study. F1000Res 2023; 11:260. [PMID: 38162635 PMCID: PMC10755267 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.75518.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) develops in two stages namely early stage when trypanosomes are found in the blood and late stage when trypanosomes are found in the central nervous system (CNS). The two environments are different with CNS environment reported as being hostile to the trypanosomes than the blood environment. The clinical symptoms manifested by the disease in the two environments are different. Information on whether blood stream are pathologically different from CNS trypanosomes is lacking. This study undertook to compare the inter-isolate pathological differences caused by bloodstream forms (BSF) and central nervous system (CNS) of five Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense ( Tbr) isolates in Swiss white mice. Methods: Donor mice infected with each of the five isolates were euthanized at 21 days post infection (DPI) for recovery of BSF trypanosomes in heart blood and CNS trypanosomes in brain supernatants. Groups of Swiss white mice (n = 10) were then infected with BSF or CNS forms of each isolate and monitored for parasitaemia, packed cell volume (PCV), body weight, survivorship, trypanosome length, gross and histopathology characteristics. Results: Amplification of SRA gene prior to trypanosome morphology and pathogenicity studies confirmed all isolates as T. b. rhodesiense. At 21 DPI, CNS trypanosomes were predominantly long slender (LS) while BSF were a mixture of short stumpy and intermediate forms. The density of BSF trypanosomes was on average 2-3 log-scales greater than that of CNS trypanosomes with isolate KETRI 2656 having the highest CNS trypanosome density. Conclusions: The pathogenicity study revealed clear differences in the virulence/pathogenicity of the five (5) isolates but no distinct and consistent differences between CNS and BSF forms of the same isolate. We also identified KETRI 2656 as a suitable isolate for acute menigo- encephalitic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kariuki Ndungu
- Biochemistry, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, P.O. Box 362 -00902, Kenya
| | - John Thuita
- Animal Science, Meru University of Science and Technology, Meru, P.O Box, 972-60200, Kenya
| | - Grace Murilla
- Administration, KAG East University, Nairobi, P.O.BOX 46328-00100, Kenya
| | - John Kagira
- Animal Science, Jomo Keyatta University of Science and Technology, Nairobi, P.O. Box 62000–00200, Kenya
| | - Joanna Auma
- Biochemistry, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, P.O. Box 362 -00902, Kenya
| | - Paul Mireji
- Bioinformatics, Centre for Geographic Medicine Research, Kilifi, P. O. Box 428-80108, Kenya
| | - Geoffrey Ngae
- Food Crops Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, P. O. Box 30148-00200, Kenya
| | - Paul Okumu
- Veterinary Pathology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197-00100, Kenya
| | - Purity Gitonga
- Biochemistry, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, P.O. Box 362 -00902, Kenya
| | - Samuel Guya
- Biochemistry, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, P.O. Box 362 -00902, Kenya
| | - Raymond Mdachi
- Biochemistry, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Nairobi, P.O. Box 362 -00902, Kenya
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Melachio Tanekou TT, Bouaka Tsakeng CU, Tirados I, Acho A, Bigoga J, Wondji CS, Njiokou F. Impact of a small-scale tsetse fly control operation with deltamethrin impregnated "Tiny Targets" on tsetse density and trypanosomes' circulation in the Campo sleeping sickness focus of South Cameroon. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011802. [PMID: 38011275 PMCID: PMC10732512 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Significant progress has been made towards African sleeping sickness elimination in the last decade. Indeed, the World Health Organization (WHO) global goal of eliminating the chronic form of the disease as a public health problem was achieved in 2020 (i.e., < 2,000 new cases per year). Vector control has played an important role in achieving this goal. In this study, we evaluated the impact of the insecticide impregnated Tiny Targets on tsetse fly densities and their infection rates with Trypanosoma spp in the Campo sleeping sickness focus of South Cameroon. METHODS The study site was divided into two areas: (i) the south-west experimental area, which included vector control, and (ii) the eastern part as the non-intervention area. After compiling the baseline entomological data (tsetse densities and trypanosome infection rates), around 2000 Tiny Targets were deployed in the South-West area and replaced every six months for two years. Post-intervention surveys were conducted every six months to determine tsetse densities and levels of trypanosome infections with PCR-based methods. RESULTS Following the intervention, tsetse mean catches decreased by 61% after six months, and up to 73% after twelve months (pre-intervention: 2.48 flies/trap/day, 95%CI [1.92-3.14]; 12-months post-intervention: 0.66 tsetse/trap/day, 95%CI [0.42-0.94]). This decrease was not sustained after 18 months, and the mean catch doubled compared to that after 12 months. After 24 months, the mean catches still increased by 17% (18 months: 1.45 tsetse/trap/day, 95%CI [1.07-1.90] and 24 months: 1.71 tsetse/trap/day, 95%CI [1.27-2.24]). In the non-intervention area, a variation in tsetse catches was observed during the two years, with a general increase from 2.43 [0.73-5.77] to 3.64 [1.47-7.70] tsetse/trap/day. In addition, trypanosome infection rates dropped by 75% in both areas (P-value < 0.001) from 21.20% to 5.06% and from 13.14% to 3.45% in intervention and control areas respectively. CONCLUSION Tiny targets have proven useful in reducing tsetse population densities and trypanosome infection rates, providing evidence for the integration of this tool in current strategies towards trypanosomiasis elimination in Campo. The non-sustained decrease of tsetse densities after one year may indicate reinvasions from neighbouring breeding sites or that the intervention area was not large enough. Our results show the need to scale up by accessing difficult breeding sites and extend the tiny targets to the whole transborder focus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tito Tresor Melachio Tanekou
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Calmes Ursain Bouaka Tsakeng
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Inaki Tirados
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Alphonse Acho
- Programme National de Lutte contre la Trypanosomose Humaine Africaine (PNLTHA), Ministère de la Santé Publique, Cameroon
| | - Jude Bigoga
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Laboratory for Vector Biology and Control, National Reference Unit for Vector Control, The Biotechnology Centre, Nkolbisson, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Charles Sinclair Wondji
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Flobert Njiokou
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
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15
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Hung AM, Assimon VA, Chen HC, Yu Z, Vlasschaert C, Triozzi JL, Chan H, Wheless L, Wilson O, Shah SC, Mack T, Thompson T, Matheny ME, Chandrasekar S, Mozaffari SV, Chung CP, Tsao P, Susztak K, Siew ED, Estrada K, Gaziano JM, Graham RR, Tao R, Hoek M, Robinson-Cohen C, Green EM, Bick AG. Genetic Inhibition of APOL1 Pore-Forming Function Prevents APOL1-Mediated Kidney Disease. J Am Soc Nephrol 2023; 34:1889-1899. [PMID: 37798822 PMCID: PMC10631602 DOI: 10.1681/asn.0000000000000219] [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: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT African Americans are at increased risk of CKD in part due to high-risk (HR) variants in the apolipoprotein L1 ( APOL1 ) gene, termed G1/G2. A different APOL1 variant, p.N264K , reduced the risk of CKD and ESKD among carriers of APOL1 HR variants to levels comparable with individuals with APOL1 low-risk variants in an analysis of 121,492 participants of African ancestry from the Million Veteran Program (MVP). Functional genetic studies in cell models showed that APOL1 p.N264K blocked APOL1 pore-forming function and ion channel conduction and reduced toxicity of APOL1 HR mutations. Pharmacologic inhibitors that mimic this mutation blocking APOL1 -mediated pore formation may be able to prevent and/or treat APOL1 -associated kidney disease. BACKGROUND African Americans are at increased risk for nondiabetic CKD in part due to HR variants in the APOL1 gene. METHODS We tested whether a different APOL1 variant, p.N264K , modified the association between APOL1 HR genotypes (two copies of G1/G2) and CKD in a cross-sectional analysis of 121,492 participants of African ancestry from the MVP. We replicated our findings in the Vanderbilt University Biobank ( n =14,386) and National Institutes of Health All of Us ( n =14,704). Primary outcome was CKD and secondary outcome was ESKD among nondiabetic patients. Primary analysis compared APOL1 HR genotypes with and without p.N264K . Secondary analyses included APOL1 low-risk genotypes and tested for interaction. In MVP, we performed sequential logistic regression models adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, medications, and ten principal components of ancestry. Functional genomic studies expressed APOL1 HR variants with and without APOL1 p.N264K in cell models. RESULTS In the MVP cohort, 15,604 (12.8%) had two APOL1 HR variants, of which 582 (0.5%) also had APOL1 p.N264K . In MVP, 18,831 (15%) had CKD, 4177 (3%) had ESKD, and 34% had diabetes. MVP APOL1 HR, without p.N264K , was associated with increased odds of CKD (odds ratio [OR], 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.60 to 1.85) and ESKD (OR, 3.94; 95% CI, 3.52 to 4.41). In MVP, APOL1 p.N264K mitigated the renal risk of APOL1 HR, in CKD (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.65) and ESKD (OR, 0.19; CI 0.07 to 0.51). In the replication cohorts meta-analysis, APOL1 p.N264K mitigated the renal risk of APOL1 HR in CKD (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.92) and ESKD (OR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.79). In the mechanistic studies, APOL1 p.N264K blocked APOL1 pore-forming function and ion channel conduction and reduced toxicity of APOL1 HR variants. CONCLUSIONS APOL1 p.N264K is associated with reduced risk of CKD and ESKD among carriers of APOL1 HR to levels comparable with individuals with APOL1 low-risk genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana M. Hung
- Nashville VA Medical Center, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | | | - Hua-Chang Chen
- Nashville VA Medical Center, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Zhihong Yu
- Nashville VA Medical Center, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | | | - Jefferson L. Triozzi
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Helen Chan
- Maze Therapeutics, South San Francisco, California
| | - Lee Wheless
- Department of Dermatology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Otis Wilson
- Nashville VA Medical Center, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Shailja C. Shah
- VA San Diego Healthcare System and UC San Diego Health, La Jolla, California
| | - Taralynn Mack
- Nashville VA Medical Center, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Trevor Thompson
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Michael E. Matheny
- Nashville VA Medical Center, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | | | | | - Cecilia P. Chung
- Department of Rheumatology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Philip Tsao
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Katalin Susztak
- Renal, Electrolyte, and Hypertension Division, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Edward D. Siew
- Nashville VA Medical Center, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | | | - J. Michael Gaziano
- VA Cooperative Studies Program, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Ran Tao
- Nashville VA Medical Center, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, Tennessee
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Maarten Hoek
- Maze Therapeutics, South San Francisco, California
| | - Cassianne Robinson-Cohen
- Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
| | | | - Alexander G. Bick
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
- VA Cooperative Studies Program, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, Massachusetts
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Singh M, Sharma SK, Bhat VK. Vertex-Based Resolvability Parameters for Identification of Certain Chemical Structures. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:39865-39872. [PMID: 37901551 PMCID: PMC10601419 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c06306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
Chemical graph theory explores chemical phenomena and entities through the conceptual framework of graph theory. In chemical graph theory, molecular structures are represented by chemical graphs, where edges and vertices correspond to bonds and atoms, respectively. Chemical graphs serve as fundamental data types in cheminformatics for illustrating chemical structures. The computable properties of graphs form the basis for quantitative structure-property and structure-activity predictions, which are central to cheminformatics. These graphs capture the physical characteristics of molecules and can be further reduced to graph-theoretical indices or descriptors. One extensively studied distance-based graph descriptor is the resolving set Z, which enables the distinction of every pair of distinct vertices in a connected simple graph. Resolving sets were specifically employed in pharmaceutical research to find patterns shared by several different drugs. Since very early times, medicinal drugs have played a significant part in human civilization. In this article, we investigate minimum resolving sets for certain significant drug molecular structures, namely, suramin (S86) and acemannan (A116).
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Affiliation(s)
- Malkesh Singh
- School
of Mathematics, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra 182320, Jammu and Kashmir, India
| | - Sunny Kumar Sharma
- Department
of Mathematics, Manipal Institute of Technology Bengaluru, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal 576104, Karnataka, India
| | - Vijay Kumar Bhat
- School
of Mathematics, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra 182320, Jammu and Kashmir, India
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Saarman NP, Son JH, Zhao H, Cosme LV, Kong Y, Li M, Wang S, Weiss BL, Echodu R, Opiro R, Aksoy S, Caccone A. Genomic evidence of sex chromosome aneuploidy and infection-associated genotypes in the tsetse fly Glossina fuscipes, the major vector of African trypanosomiasis in Uganda. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2023; 114:105501. [PMID: 37709241 PMCID: PMC10593118 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2023.105501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
The primary vector of the trypanosome parasite causing human and animal African trypanosomiasis in Uganda is the riverine tsetse fly Glossina fuscipes fuscipes (Gff). Our study improved the Gff genome assembly with whole genome 10× Chromium sequencing of a lab reared pupae, identified autosomal versus sex-chromosomal regions of the genome with ddRAD-seq data from 627 field caught Gff, and identified SNPs associated with trypanosome infection with genome-wide association (GWA) analysis in a subset of 351 flies. Results from 10× Chromium sequencing greatly improved Gff genome assembly metrics and assigned a full third of the genome to the sex chromosome. Results from ddRAD-seq suggested possible sex-chromosome aneuploidy in Gff and identified a single autosomal SNP to be highly associated with trypanosome infection. The top associated SNP was ∼1100 bp upstream of the gene lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), an important component of the molecular pathway that initiates trypanosome lysis and protection in mammals. Results suggest that there may be naturally occurring genetic variation in Gff in genomic regions in linkage disequilibrium with LCAT that can protect against trypanosome infection, thereby paving the way for targeted research into novel vector control strategies that can promote parasite resistance in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jae Hak Son
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
| | - Hongyu Zhao
- Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | | | - Yong Kong
- Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Mo Li
- Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Serap Aksoy
- Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Chyła-Danił G, Sałaga-Zaleska K, Kreft E, Stumski O, Krzesińska A, Sakowicz-Burkiewicz M, Kuchta A, Jankowski M. Long-Term Effects of Suramin on Renal Function in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetes in Rats. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14671. [PMID: 37834118 PMCID: PMC10572378 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914671] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In short-term diabetes (3 weeks), suramin, a drug used clinically, affects renal function and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), which may be involved in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy, the main cause of end-stage renal disease. In the present study, we evaluated the long-term (11 weeks) effects of suramin (10 mg/kg, i.p., once-weekly) in diabetic rats. Concentrations of VEGF-A, albumin, soluble adhesive molecules (sICAM-1, sVCAM-1), nucleosomes, and thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) were measured by ELISA, total protein was measured using a biuret reagent. Glomerular expression of VEGF-A was evaluated by Western blot, mRNA for VEGF-A receptors in the renal cortex by RT-PCR. The vasoreactivity of the interlobar arteries to acetylcholine was assessed by wire myography. Long-term diabetes led to an increased concentration of VEGF-A, TAT, and urinary excretion of total protein and albumin, and a decrease in the concentration of sVCAM-1. We have shown that suramin in diabetes reduces total urinary protein excretion and restores the relaxing properties of acetylcholine relaxation properties to non-diabetic levels. Suramin had no effect on glomerular expression VEGF-A expression and specific receptors, and on sICAM-1 and nucleosomes concentrations in diabetic rats. In conclusion, the long-term effect of suramin on the kidneys in diabetes, expressed in the reduction of proteinuria and the restoration of endothelium-dependent relaxation of the renal arteries, can be considered as potentially contributing to the reduction/slowing down of the development of diabetic nephropathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Chyła-Danił
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki 7, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.C.-D.)
| | - Kornelia Sałaga-Zaleska
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki 7, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.C.-D.)
| | - Ewelina Kreft
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki 7, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.C.-D.)
| | - Olaf Stumski
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki 7, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.C.-D.)
| | - Aleksandra Krzesińska
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki 7, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.C.-D.)
| | | | - Agnieszka Kuchta
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki 7, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.C.-D.)
| | - Maciej Jankowski
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębinki 7, 80-210 Gdańsk, Poland; (G.C.-D.)
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19
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Albisetti AC, Douglas RL, Welch MD. FAZ assembly in bloodstream form Trypanosoma brucei requires kinesin KIN-E. Mol Biol Cell 2023; 34:ar103. [PMID: 37531263 PMCID: PMC10551704 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e23-01-0022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness, uses its flagellum for movement, cell division, and signaling. The flagellum is anchored to the cell body membrane via the flagellum attachment zone (FAZ), a complex of proteins, filaments, and microtubules that spans two membranes with elements on both flagellum and cell body sides. How FAZ components are carried into place to form this complex is poorly understood. Here, we show that the trypanosome-specific kinesin KIN-E is required for building the FAZ in bloodstream-form parasites. KIN-E is localized along the flagellum with a concentration at its distal tip. Depletion of KIN-E by RNAi rapidly inhibits flagellum attachment and leads to cell death. A detailed analysis reveals that KIN-E depletion phenotypes include failure in cytokinesis completion, kinetoplast DNA missegregation, and transport vesicle accumulation. Together with previously published results in procyclic form parasites, these data suggest KIN-E plays a critical role in FAZ assembly in T. brucei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna C. Albisetti
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Robert L. Douglas
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
| | - Matthew D. Welch
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
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20
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Jamabo M, Mahlalela M, Edkins AL, Boshoff A. Tackling Sleeping Sickness: Current and Promising Therapeutics and Treatment Strategies. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12529. [PMID: 37569903 PMCID: PMC10420020 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Human African trypanosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the extracellular protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei, and targeted for eradication by 2030. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the lengthening of the proposed time frame for eliminating human African trypanosomiasis as control programs were interrupted. Armed with extensive antigenic variation and the depletion of the B cell population during an infectious cycle, attempts to develop a vaccine have remained unachievable. With the absence of a vaccine, control of the disease has relied heavily on intensive screening measures and the use of drugs. The chemotherapeutics previously available for disease management were plagued by issues such as toxicity, resistance, and difficulty in administration. The approval of the latest and first oral drug, fexinidazole, is a major chemotherapeutic achievement for the treatment of human African trypanosomiasis in the past few decades. Timely and accurate diagnosis is essential for effective treatment, while poor compliance and resistance remain outstanding challenges. Drug discovery is on-going, and herein we review the recent advances in anti-trypanosomal drug discovery, including novel potential drug targets. The numerous challenges associated with disease eradication will also be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miebaka Jamabo
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6139, South Africa; (M.J.); (M.M.)
| | - Maduma Mahlalela
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6139, South Africa; (M.J.); (M.M.)
| | - Adrienne L. Edkins
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedical Biotechnology Research Centre (BioBRU), Rhodes University, Makhanda 6139, South Africa;
| | - Aileen Boshoff
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Makhanda 6139, South Africa; (M.J.); (M.M.)
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21
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Janse van Rensburg HD, Suganuma K, N'Da DD. In vitro trypanocidal activities and structure-activity relationships of ciprofloxacin analogs. Mol Divers 2023:10.1007/s11030-023-10704-9. [PMID: 37481633 DOI: 10.1007/s11030-023-10704-9] [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: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
Tropical diseases, such as African trypanosomiasis, by their nature and prevalence lack the necessary urgency regarding drug development, despite the increasing need for novel, structurally diverse antitrypanosomal drugs, using different mechanisms of action that would improve drug efficacy and safety. Traditionally antibacterial agents, the fluoroquinolones, reportedly possess in vitro trypanocidal activities against Trypanosoma brucei organisms. During our research, the fluroquinolone, ciprofloxacin (1), and its analogs (2-24) were tested against bloodstream forms of T. brucei brucei, T. b. gambiense, T. b. rhodesiense, T. evansi, T. equiperdum, and T. congolense and Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells (cytotoxicity). Ciprofloxacin [CPX (1)] demonstrated selective trypanocidal activity against T. congolense (IC50 7.79 µM; SI 39.6), whereas the CPX derivatives (2-10) showed weak selective activity (25 < IC50 < 65 µM; 2 < SI < 4). Selectivity and activity of the CPX and 1,2,3-triazole (TZ) hybrids (11-24) were governed by their chemical functionality at C-3 (carboxylic acid, or 4-methylpiperazinyl amide) and their electronic effect (electron-donating or electron-withdrawing para-benzyl substituent), respectively. Trypanocidal hits in the micromolar range were identified against bloodstream forms of T. congolense [CPX (1); CPX amide derivatives 18: IC50 8.95 µM; SI 16.84; 22: IC50 5.42 µM; SI 25.2] and against T. brucei rhodesiense (CPX acid derivative 13: IC50 4.51 µM; SI 10.2), demonstrating more selectivity toward trypanosomes than mammalian cells. Hence, the trypanocidal hit compound 22 may be optimized by retaining the 4-methylpiperazine amide functional group (C-3) and the TZ moiety at position N-15 and introducing other electron-withdrawing ortho-, meta-, and/or para-substituents on the aryl ring in an effort to improve the pharmacokinetic properties and increase the trypanocidal activity. Structure-activity relationships of ciprofloxacin-1,2,3-triazole hybrids were governed by the chemical functionality at C-3 and electronic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Keisuke Suganuma
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan.
| | - David D N'Da
- Centre of Excellence for Pharmaceutical Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, 2520, South Africa
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22
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Wu G, Zhou H, Lv D, Zheng R, Wu L, Yu S, Kai J, Xu N, Gu L, Hong N, Shentu J. Phase I, Single-Dose Study to Assess the Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Suramin in Healthy Chinese Volunteers. Drug Des Devel Ther 2023; 17:2051-2061. [PMID: 37457890 PMCID: PMC10349579 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s416325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Suramin is a multifunctional molecule with a wide range of potential applications, including parasitic and viral diseases, as well as cancer. Methods A double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled single ascending dose study was conducted to investigate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of suramin in healthy Chinese volunteers. A total of 36 healthy subjects were enrolled. All doses of suramin sodium and placebo were administered as a 30-minute infusion. Blood and urine samples were collected at the designated time points for pharmacokinetic analysis. Safety was assessed by clinical examinations and adverse events. Results After a single dose, suramin maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to the time of the last measurable concentration (AUClast) increased in a dose-proportional manner. The plasma half-life (t1/2) was dose-independent, average 48 days (range 28-105 days). The cumulative percentages of the dose excreted in urine over 7 days were less than 4%. Suramin can be detected in urine samples for longer periods (more than 140 days following infusion). Suramin was generally well tolerated. Treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were generally mild in severity. Conclusion The PK and safety profiles of suramin in Chinese subjects indicated that 10 mg/kg or 15 mg/kg could be an appropriate dose in a future multiple-dose study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guolan Wu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Drug Evaluation and Clinical Research, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Polytechnic Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Huili Zhou
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Drug Evaluation and Clinical Research, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Duo Lv
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Drug Evaluation and Clinical Research, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ruling Zheng
- The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lihua Wu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Songxia Yu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Drug Evaluation and Clinical Research, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jiejing Kai
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Drug Evaluation and Clinical Research, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Nana Xu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Drug Evaluation and Clinical Research, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lie Gu
- Hainan Honz Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, Haikou, Hainan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Nanfang Hong
- Hainan Honz Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, Haikou, Hainan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jianzhong Shentu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Drug Evaluation and Clinical Research, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
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23
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Acquah FA, Mooers BHM. Targeting RNA Structure to Inhibit Editing in Trypanosomes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10110. [PMID: 37373258 PMCID: PMC10298474 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210110] [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: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial RNA editing in trypanosomes represents an attractive target for developing safer and more efficient drugs for treating infections with trypanosomes because this RNA editing pathway is not found in humans. Other workers have targeted several enzymes in this editing system, but not the RNA. Here, we target a universal domain of the RNA editing substrate, which is the U-helix formed between the oligo-U tail of the guide RNA and the target mRNA. We selected a part of the U-helix that is rich in G-U wobble base pairs as the target site for the virtual screening of 262,000 compounds. After chemoinformatic filtering of the top 5000 leads, we subjected 50 representative complexes to 50 nanoseconds of molecular dynamics simulations. We identified 15 compounds that retained stable interactions in the deep groove of the U-helix. The microscale thermophoresis binding experiments on these five compounds show low-micromolar to nanomolar binding affinities. The UV melting studies show an increase in the melting temperatures of the U-helix upon binding by each compound. These five compounds can serve as leads for drug development and as research tools to probe the role of the RNA structure in trypanosomal RNA editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis A. Acquah
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA;
| | - Blaine H. M. Mooers
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA;
- Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
- Laboratory of Biomolecular Structure and Function, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
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24
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Previti S, Ettari R, Di Chio C, Legac J, Bogacz M, Zimmer C, Schirmeister T, Rosenthal PJ, Zappalà M. Influence of amino acid size at the P3 position of N-Cbz-tripeptide Michael acceptors targeting falcipain-2 and rhodesain for the treatment of malaria and human african trypanosomiasis. Bioorg Chem 2023; 137:106587. [PMID: 37163812 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106587] [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: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, several structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies provided potent inhibitors of the cysteine proteases falcipain-2 (FP-2) and rhodesain (RD) from Plasmodium falciparum and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, respectively. Whilst the roles of the warhead and residues targeting the P1 and P2 pockets of the proteases were extensively investigated, the roles of the amino acids occupying the S3 pocket were not widely assessed. Herein we report the synthesis and biological evaluation of a set of novel Michael acceptors bearing amino acids of increasing size at the P3 site (1a-g/2a-g, SPR20-SPR33) against FP-2, RD, P. falciparum, and T. brucei. Overall, the Michael acceptors bearing small amino acids at the P3 site exhibited the most potent inhibitory properties towards FP-2. In contrast, analogues with bulky residues at the P3 position were very potent rhodesain inhibitors. In cell based assays, single-digit micromolar EC50 values against the two protozoa were observed. These findings can be a starting point for the development of peptide-based FP-2 and RD inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santo Previti
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy.
| | - Roberta Ettari
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Carla Di Chio
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Jenny Legac
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States
| | - Marta Bogacz
- Institute of Organic Chemistry & Macromolecular Chemistry, Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Collin Zimmer
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Tanja Schirmeister
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Philip J Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, United States
| | - Maria Zappalà
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Stagno d'Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
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25
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Yoshinaga M, Niu G, Yoshinaga-Sakurai K, Nadar VS, Wang X, Rosen BP, Li J. Arsinothricin Inhibits Plasmodium falciparum Proliferation in Blood and Blocks Parasite Transmission to Mosquitoes. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1195. [PMID: 37317169 PMCID: PMC10222646 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11051195] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria, caused by Plasmodium protozoal parasites, remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The Plasmodium parasite has a complex life cycle, with asexual and sexual forms in humans and Anopheles mosquitoes. Most antimalarials target only the symptomatic asexual blood stage. However, to ensure malaria eradication, new drugs with efficacy at multiple stages of the life cycle are necessary. We previously demonstrated that arsinothricin (AST), a newly discovered organoarsenical natural product, is a potent broad-spectrum antibiotic that inhibits the growth of various prokaryotic pathogens. Here, we report that AST is an effective multi-stage antimalarial. AST is a nonproteinogenic amino acid analog of glutamate that inhibits prokaryotic glutamine synthetase (GS). Phylogenetic analysis shows that Plasmodium GS, which is expressed throughout all stages of the parasite life cycle, is more closely related to prokaryotic GS than eukaryotic GS. AST potently inhibits Plasmodium GS, while it is less effective on human GS. Notably, AST effectively inhibits both Plasmodium erythrocytic proliferation and parasite transmission to mosquitoes. In contrast, AST is relatively nontoxic to a number of human cell lines, suggesting that AST is selective against malaria pathogens, with little negative effect on the human host. We propose that AST is a promising lead compound for developing a new class of multi-stage antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masafumi Yoshinaga
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Guodong Niu
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences & Education, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Kunie Yoshinaga-Sakurai
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Venkadesh S. Nadar
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Xiaohong Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences & Education, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Barry P. Rosen
- Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts, Sciences & Education, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199, USA
- Biomolecular Sciences Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
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26
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Mirieri CK, Abd-Alla AM, Ros VI, van Oers MM. Evaluating the Effect of Irradiation on the Densities of Two RNA Viruses in Glossina morsitans morsitans. INSECTS 2023; 14:397. [PMID: 37103212 PMCID: PMC10140815 DOI: 10.3390/insects14040397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Tsetse flies are cyclic vectors of Trypanosoma parasites, which cause debilitating diseases in humans and animals. To decrease the disease burden, the number of flies is reduced using the sterile insect technique (SIT), where male flies are sterilized through irradiation and released into the field. This procedure requires the mass rearing of high-quality male flies able to compete with wild male flies for mating with wild females. Recently, two RNA viruses, an iflavirus and a negevirus, were discovered in mass-reared Glossina morsitans morsitans and named GmmIV and GmmNegeV, respectively. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the densities of these viruses in tsetse flies are affected by the irradiation treatment. Therefore, we exposed tsetse pupae to various doses (0-150 Gy) of ionizing radiation, either in air (normoxia) or without air (hypoxia), for which oxygen was displaced by nitrogen. Pupae and/or emerging flies were collected immediately afterwards, and at three days post irradiation, virus densities were quantified through RT-qPCR. Generally, the results show that irradiation exposure had no significant impact on the densities of GmmIV and GmmNegeV, suggesting that the viruses are relatively radiation-resistant, even at higher doses. However, sampling over a longer period after irradiation would be needed to verify that densities of these insect viruses are not changed by the sterilisation treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline K. Mirieri
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Adly M.M. Abd-Alla
- Insect Pest Control Laboratory, Joint FAO/IAEA Programme of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Vera I.D. Ros
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Monique M. van Oers
- Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University and Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
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27
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Ogolla KO, Onyango T, Bwana BK, Otiende MY, Mang’era CM, Ochieng B, Omolo MO, Mugambi JM, Hassanali A, Omondi P, Mireji PO. Bloodmeal host identities among sympatric Glossina austeni and Glossina pallidipes tsetse flies in Shimba Hills National Reserve, Kwale, Kenya. FRONTIERS IN TROPICAL DISEASES 2023; 4:1145993. [PMID: 38455667 PMCID: PMC10919243 DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2023.1145993] [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] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Odor from preferred/non-preferred tsetse fly vertebrate hosts have been exploited in R&D of attractants/repellents of the fly for human and livestock protection. Odors from vertebrate hosts of Glossina austeni and Glossina pallidipes tsetse flies can facilitate formulation of novel attractants effective against G. austeni or improvement of existing attractant blends for G. pallidipes. We compared vertebrate blood meal sources of both fly species at Shimba Hills National Reserve, Kenya, to establish putative preferred host of either species, hence potential source of G. austeni or G. pallidipes specific odors. We trapped sympatric adult flies in 2021 and 2022 using NGU traps/sticky panels baited with POCA, collected their blood meals and characterize the meals using HRM vertebrate 16S rRNA- PCR (for host identification), and compared host profiles using GLM and Fisher's exact tests. We collected 168 and 62 sympatric G. pallidipes and G. austeni with bloodmeal, respectively in 2021 and, 230 and 142 respectively in 2022. In 2021, we identified putative hosts of 65.48 and 69.35 % of the G. pallidipes and G. austeni respectively and 82.61 and 80.28%, respectively in 2022. In 2021, we detected harnessed bushbuck, buffalo, common warthog and cattle putative host bloodmeals, and additionally bushpig and suni antelope bloodmeals in 2022. Putative vertebrate bloodmeal sources were significantly different by tsetse fly species (χ2(1, N=457) = 43.215, p < 0.001) and sampling year (χ2(1, N=457) = 8.044, p = 0.005). Frequency of common warthog bloodmeals was higher in G. pallidipes (65.79 %) than G. austeni (38.60%), and that of suni antelope and harnessed bushbuck putative bloodmeals higher in G. austeni (21.05-28.07%) than in G. pallidipes (6.84 - 17.37%) in 2022. There was an apparent change in putative feeding preference/host choices in both fly species between 2021 and 2022. Host bloodmeals in G. pallidipes or G. austeni predominantly from putative harnessed bushbuck, suni antelope or common warthog reveal these vertebrates with potential odors that can be harnessed and formulated into appropriate attractants for respective species and integrated into routine control regiment for G. pallidipes and/or G. austeni.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kennedy O. Ogolla
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Kikuyu, Kenya
| | - Tevin Onyango
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Naivasha, Kenya
| | - Billiah K. Bwana
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Kikuyu, Kenya
| | | | - Clarence M. Mang’era
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Egerton University, Nakuru, Kenya
| | - Benard Ochieng
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Naivasha, Kenya
| | - Maurice O Omolo
- Center for African Medicinal and Nutritional Flora and Fauna, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya
| | - John M Mugambi
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Kikuyu, Kenya
| | - Ahmed Hassanali
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Kikuyu, Kenya
| | - Patrick Omondi
- Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Naivasha, Kenya
| | - Paul O. Mireji
- Biotechnology Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, Kikuyu, Kenya
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Kwon PS, Xu S, Oh H, Kwon SJ, Rodrigues AL, Feroz M, Fraser K, He P, Zhang F, Hong JJ, Linhardt RJ, Dordick JS. Suramin binds and inhibits infection of SARS-CoV-2 through both spike protein-heparan sulfate and ACE2 receptor interactions. Commun Biol 2023; 6:387. [PMID: 37031303 PMCID: PMC10082822 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04789-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domains (RBDs) interact with both the ACE2 receptor and heparan sulfate on the surface of host cells to enhance SARS-CoV-2 infection. We show that suramin, a polysulfated synthetic drug, binds to the ACE2 receptor and heparan sulfate binding sites on the RBDs of wild-type, Delta, and Omicron variants. Specifically, heparan sulfate and suramin had enhanced preferential binding for Omicron RBD, and suramin is most potent against the live SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) when compared to wild type and Delta (B.1.617.2) variants in vitro. These results suggest that inhibition of live virus infection occurs through dual SARS-CoV-2 targets of S-protein binding and previously reported RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibition and offers the possibility for this and other polysulfated molecules to be used as potential therapeutic and prophylactic options against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul S Kwon
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Shirley Xu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Hanseul Oh
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk, Republic of Korea
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Seok-Joon Kwon
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Andre L Rodrigues
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Maisha Feroz
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Keith Fraser
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Peng He
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Fuming Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Jung Joo Hong
- National Primate Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk, Republic of Korea.
| | - Robert J Linhardt
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.
| | - Jonathan S Dordick
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA.
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Gaona-López C, Vazquez-Jimenez LK, Gonzalez-Gonzalez A, Delgado-Maldonado T, Ortiz-Pérez E, Nogueda-Torres B, Moreno-Rodríguez A, Vázquez K, Saavedra E, Rivera G. Advances in Protozoan Epigenetic Targets and Their Inhibitors for the Development of New Potential Drugs. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2023; 16:ph16040543. [PMID: 37111300 PMCID: PMC10143871 DOI: 10.3390/ph16040543] [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: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Protozoan parasite diseases cause significant mortality and morbidity worldwide. Factors such as climate change, extreme poverty, migration, and a lack of life opportunities lead to the propagation of diseases classified as tropical or non-endemic. Although there are several drugs to combat parasitic diseases, strains resistant to routinely used drugs have been reported. In addition, many first-line drugs have adverse effects ranging from mild to severe, including potential carcinogenic effects. Therefore, new lead compounds are needed to combat these parasites. Although little has been studied regarding the epigenetic mechanisms in lower eukaryotes, it is believed that epigenetics plays an essential role in vital aspects of the organism, from controlling the life cycle to the expression of genes involved in pathogenicity. Therefore, using epigenetic targets to combat these parasites is foreseen as an area with great potential for development. This review summarizes the main known epigenetic mechanisms and their potential as therapeutics for a group of medically important protozoal parasites. Different epigenetic mechanisms are discussed, highlighting those that can be used for drug repositioning, such as histone post-translational modifications (HPTMs). Exclusive parasite targets are also emphasized, including the base J and DNA 6 mA. These two categories have the greatest potential for developing drugs to treat or eradicate these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Gaona-López
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, Mexico
| | - Lenci K Vazquez-Jimenez
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, Mexico
| | - Alonzo Gonzalez-Gonzalez
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, Mexico
| | - Timoteo Delgado-Maldonado
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, Mexico
| | - Eyrá Ortiz-Pérez
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, Mexico
| | - Benjamín Nogueda-Torres
- Departamento de Parasitología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City 11340, Mexico
| | - Adriana Moreno-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Estudios Epidemiológicos, Clínicos, Diseños Experimentales e Investigación, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma "Benito Juárez" de Oaxaca, Avenida Universidad S/N, Ex Hacienda Cinco Señores, Oaxaca 68120, Mexico
| | - Karina Vázquez
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Francisco Villa 20, General Escobedo 66054, Mexico
| | - Emma Saavedra
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
| | - Gildardo Rivera
- Laboratorio de Biotecnología Farmacéutica, Centro de Biotecnología Genómica, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Reynosa 88710, Mexico
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García-Estrada C, Pérez-Pertejo Y, Domínguez-Asenjo B, Holanda VN, Murugesan S, Martínez-Valladares M, Balaña-Fouce R, Reguera RM. Further Investigations of Nitroheterocyclic Compounds as Potential Antikinetoplastid Drug Candidates. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13040637. [PMID: 37189384 DOI: 10.3390/biom13040637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to the lack of specific vaccines, management of the trypanosomatid-caused neglected tropical diseases (sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis) relies exclusively on pharmacological treatments. Current drugs against them are scarce, old and exhibit disadvantages, such as adverse effects, parenteral administration, chemical instability and high costs which are often unaffordable for endemic low-income countries. Discoveries of new pharmacological entities for the treatment of these diseases are scarce, since most of the big pharmaceutical companies find this market unattractive. In order to fill the pipeline of compounds and replace existing ones, highly translatable drug screening platforms have been developed in the last two decades. Thousands of molecules have been tested, including nitroheterocyclic compounds, such as benznidazole and nifurtimox, which had already provided potent and effective effects against Chagas disease. More recently, fexinidazole has been added as a new drug against African trypanosomiasis. Despite the success of nitroheterocycles, they had been discarded from drug discovery campaigns due to their mutagenic potential, but now they represent a promising source of inspiration for oral drugs that can replace those currently on the market. The examples provided by the trypanocidal activity of fexinidazole and the promising efficacy of the derivative DNDi-0690 against leishmaniasis seem to open a new window of opportunity for these compounds that were discovered in the 1960s. In this review, we show the current uses of nitroheterocycles and the novel derived molecules that are being synthesized against these neglected diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos García-Estrada
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Yolanda Pérez-Pertejo
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Bárbara Domínguez-Asenjo
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Vanderlan Nogueira Holanda
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Sankaranarayanan Murugesan
- Medicinal Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Pilani Campus, Pilani 333031, India
| | - María Martínez-Valladares
- Instituto de Ganadería de Montaña (IGM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad de León, Carretera León-Vega de Infanzones, Vega de Infanzones, 24346 León, Spain
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Rafael Balaña-Fouce
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Rosa M. Reguera
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
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Farahat AA, Kumar A, Wenzler T, Brun R, Paul A, Guo P, Wilson WD, Boykin DW. Investigation of the effect of structure modification of furamidine on the DNA minor groove binding and antiprotozoal activity. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 252:115287. [PMID: 36958267 PMCID: PMC10127280 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115287] [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: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
New analogs of the antiprotozoal agent Furamidine were prepared utilizing Stille coupling reactions and amidation of the bisnitrile intermediate using lithium bis-trimethylsilylamide. Both the phenyl groups and the furan moiety of furamidine were replaced by heterocycles including thiophene, selenophene, indole or benzimidazole. Based upon the ΔTm and the CD results, the new compounds showed strong binding to the DNA minor groove. The new analogues are also more active both in vitro and in vivo than furamidine. Compounds 7a, 7b, and 7f showed the highest activity in vivo by curing 75% of animals, and this merits further evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelbasset A Farahat
- Masters of Pharmaceutical Sciences Program, California Northstate University, Elk Grove, CA, 95757, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt.
| | - Arvind Kumar
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Tanja Wenzler
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, 4002, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, 4003, Switzerland
| | - Reto Brun
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, 4002, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, 4003, Switzerland
| | - Ananya Paul
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Pu Guo
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - W David Wilson
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - David W Boykin
- Department of Chemistry, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
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32
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Weinmann J, Kirchner L, Engstler M, Meinel L, Holzgrabe U. Design, synthesis and biological evaluations of quinolone amides against African trypanosomiasis with improved solubility. Eur J Med Chem 2023; 250:115176. [PMID: 36805945 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2023.115176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The human African trypanosomiasis is a devastating parasitic infection, which is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei and transmitted by the bite of the tsetse fly. An untreated infection usually results in death and only few drugs with significant drawbacks are currently available for treatment. Previous investigations revealed the quinolone amide MB007 as a lead compound with an excellent selectivity for T. b. brucei. Here, new quinolone amides were synthesized for deeper insights into the structure-activity relationship. Furthermore, the aqueous solubility of the compounds was analyzed, as the poor solubility of previous quinolone amides impeded in vivo studies for target identification. The biological evaluation led to the new lead structure 9f, which exhibits a promising in vitro activity against T. b. brucei (IC50 = 22 nM) and showed no cytotoxicity against macrophages. Moreover, compounds 10b and 10c were discovered, which possessed an improved solubility combined with a decent selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Weinmann
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Lukas Kirchner
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Markus Engstler
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Lorenz Meinel
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Holzgrabe
- Institute of Pharmacy and Food Chemistry, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074, Würzburg, Germany.
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33
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Chandra M, Đaković S, Foti K, Zeelen JP, van Straaten M, Aresta-Branco F, Tihon E, Lübbehusen N, Ruppert T, Glover L, Papavasiliou FN, Stebbins CE. Structural similarities between the metacyclic and bloodstream form variant surface glycoproteins of the African trypanosome. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011093. [PMID: 36780870 PMCID: PMC9956791 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
During infection of mammalian hosts, African trypanosomes thwart immunity using antigenic variation of the dense Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG) coat, accessing a large repertoire of several thousand genes and pseudogenes, and switching to antigenically distinct copies. The parasite is transferred to mammalian hosts by the tsetse fly. In the salivary glands of the fly, the pathogen adopts the metacyclic form and expresses a limited repertoire of VSG genes specific to that developmental stage. It has remained unknown whether the metacyclic VSGs possess distinct properties associated with this particular and discrete phase of the parasite life cycle. We present here three novel metacyclic form VSG N-terminal domain crystal structures (mVSG397, mVSG531, and mVSG1954) and show that they mirror closely in architecture, oligomerization, and surface diversity the known classes of bloodstream form VSGs. These data suggest that the mVSGs are unlikely to be a specialized subclass of VSG proteins, and thus could be poor candidates as the major components of prophylactic vaccines against trypanosomiasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Chandra
- Division of Structural Biology of Infection and Immunity, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Immune Diversity, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sara Đaković
- Division of Structural Biology of Infection and Immunity, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Konstantina Foti
- Division of Structural Biology of Infection and Immunity, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Johan P. Zeelen
- Division of Structural Biology of Infection and Immunity, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Monique van Straaten
- Division of Structural Biology of Infection and Immunity, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Francisco Aresta-Branco
- Division of Structural Biology of Infection and Immunity, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Immune Diversity, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eliane Tihon
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Trypanosome Molecular Biology, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Paris, France
| | - Nicole Lübbehusen
- Centre for Molecular Biology at the University of Heidelberg (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Ruppert
- Centre for Molecular Biology at the University of Heidelberg (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lucy Glover
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Trypanosome Molecular Biology, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Paris, France
| | - F. Nina Papavasiliou
- Division of Immune Diversity, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - C. Erec Stebbins
- Division of Structural Biology of Infection and Immunity, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Determination of the Optimal Single Dose Treatment for Acoziborole, a Novel Drug for the Treatment of Human African Trypanosomiasis: First-in-Human Study. Clin Pharmacokinet 2023; 62:481-491. [PMID: 36763327 PMCID: PMC10042906 DOI: 10.1007/s40262-023-01216-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Acoziborole is a novel boron-containing candidate developed as an oral drug for the treatment of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). Results from preclinical studies allowed progression to Phase 1 trials. We aimed to determine the best dose regimen for all stages of HAT. METHODS Acoziborole was assessed in 128 healthy adult males of sub-Saharan African origin living in France. The study included a single oral administration of a 20- to 1200-mg dose in a randomised double-blind study in cohorts of 8 (6 active, 2 placebo) to assess safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics. In three additional open cohorts of 6 participants, the effect of activated charcoal was evaluated, bioequivalence of capsules versus tablets was assessed, and safety in the 960-mg tablet cohorts was monitored. RESULTS Acoziborole was well tolerated at all doses tested; no dose-related adverse events were observed. The drug appeared rapidly in plasma (at 1 h), reached tmax between 24 and 72 h, and remained stable for up to 96 h, after which a slow decrease was quantifiable until 14 weeks after dosing. Charcoal had little impact on the enterohepatic recirculation effect, except for the 20-mg dose. Bioequivalence between capsule and tablet formulations was demonstrated. The therapeutic single dose for administration under fasted conditions was fixed to 960 mg. The maximum administered dose was 1200 mg. CONCLUSIONS This study showed that acoziborole could be safely assessed in patients as a potential single-dose oral cure for both stages of gambiense HAT. TRIAL REGISTRATION The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01533961.
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Makarov A, Began J, Mautone IC, Pinto E, Ferguson L, Zoltner M, Zoll S, Field MC. The role of invariant surface glycoprotein 75 in xenobiotic acquisition by African trypanosomes. MICROBIAL CELL (GRAZ, AUSTRIA) 2023; 10:18-35. [PMID: 36789350 PMCID: PMC9896412 DOI: 10.15698/mic2023.02.790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The surface proteins of parasitic protozoa mediate functions essential to survival within a host, including nutrient accumulation, environmental sensing and immune evasion. Several receptors involved in nutrient uptake and defence from the innate immune response have been described in African trypanosomes and, together with antigenic variation, contribute towards persistence within vertebrate hosts. Significantly, a superfamily of invariant surface glycoproteins (ISGs) populates the trypanosome surface, one of which, ISG75, is implicated in uptake of the century-old drug suramin. By CRISPR/Cas9 knockout and biophysical analysis, we show here that ISG75 directly binds suramin and mediates uptake of additional naphthol-related compounds, making ISG75 a conduit for entry of at least one structural class of trypanocidal compounds. However, ISG75 null cells present only modest attenuation of suramin sensitivity, have unaltered viability in vivo and in vitro and no alteration to suramin-invoked proteome responses. While ISG75 is demonstrated as a valid suramin cell entry pathway, we suggest the presence of additional mechanisms for suramin accumulation, further demonstrating the complexity of trypanosomatid drug interactions and potential for evolution of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandr Makarov
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Jakub Began
- Laboratory of Structural Parasitology, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, 16610 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Ileana Corvo Mautone
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
- Laboratorio de Moléculas Bioactivas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de la República, Paysandú 60000, Uruguay
| | - Erika Pinto
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Liam Ferguson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Martin Zoltner
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
- Charles University, Faculty of Science, Department of Parasitology, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Sebastian Zoll
- Laboratory of Structural Parasitology, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, 16610 Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Mark C. Field
- School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, 37005 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
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36
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Screening the Pathogen Box to Discover and Characterize New Cruzain and TbrCatL Inhibitors. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12020251. [PMID: 36839523 PMCID: PMC9967275 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease and Human African Trypanosomiasis, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and T. brucei, respectively, pose relevant health challenges throughout the world, placing 65 to 70 million people at risk each. Given the limited efficacy and severe side effects associated with current chemotherapy, new drugs are urgently needed for both diseases. Here, we report the screening of the Pathogen Box collection against cruzain and TbrCatL, validated targets for Chagas disease and Human African Trypanosomiasis, respectively. Enzymatic assays were applied to screen 400 compounds, validate hits, determine IC50 values and, when possible, mechanisms of inhibition. In this case, 12 initial hits were obtained and ten were prioritized for follow-up. IC50 values were obtained for six of them (hit rate = 1.5%) and ranged from 0.46 ± 0.03 to 27 ± 3 µM. MMV687246 was found to be a mixed inhibitor of cruzain (Ki = 57 ± 6 µM) while MMV688179 was found to be a competitive inhibitor of cruzain with a nanomolar potency (Ki = 165 ± 63 nM). A putative binding mode for MMV688179 was obtained by docking. The six hits discovered against cruzain and TbrCatL are of great interest for further optimization by the medicinal chemistry community.
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37
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Xie Y, Liang H, Jiang N, Liu D, Zhang N, Li Q, Zhang K, Sang X, Feng Y, Chen R, Zhang Y, Chen Q. Graphene quantum dots induce cascadic apoptosis via interaction with proteins associated with anti-oxidation after endocytosis by Trypanosoma brucei. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1022050. [PMID: 36561761 PMCID: PMC9763322 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1022050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei, the pathogen causing African sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis) in humans, causes debilitating diseases in many regions of the world, but mainly in African countries with tropical and subtropical climates. Enormous efforts have been devoted to controlling trypanosomiasis, including expanding vector control programs, searching for novel anti-trypanosomial agents, and developing vaccines, but with limited success. In this study, we systematically investigated the effect of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) on trypanosomal parasites and their underlying mechanisms. Ultrasmall-sized GQDs can be efficiently endocytosed by T. brucei and with no toxicity to mammalian-derived cells, triggering a cascade of apoptotic reactions, including mitochondrial disorder, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) elevation, Ca2+ accumulation, DNA fragmentation, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis impairment, and cell cycle arrest. All of these were caused by the direct interaction between GQDs and the proteins associated with cell apoptosis and anti-oxidation responses, such as trypanothione reductase (TryR), a key protein in anti-oxidation. GQDs specifically inhibited the enzymatic activity of TryR, leading to a reduction in the antioxidant capacity and, ultimately, parasite apoptotic death. These data, for the first time, provide a basis for the exploration of GQDs in the development of anti-trypanosomials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwei Xie
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Hongrui Liang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ning Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Dingyuan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Naiwen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Qilong Li
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xiaoyu Sang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ying Feng
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Ran Chen
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yiwei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China
| | - Qijun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shenyang, China,Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanism of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China,*Correspondence: Qijun Chen,
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Periferakis A, Periferakis K, Badarau IA, Petran EM, Popa DC, Caruntu A, Costache RS, Scheau C, Caruntu C, Costache DO. Kaempferol: Antimicrobial Properties, Sources, Clinical, and Traditional Applications. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232315054. [PMID: 36499380 PMCID: PMC9740324 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232315054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Flavonoids are a category of plant-derived compounds which exhibit a large number of health-related effects. One of the most well-known and studied flavonoids is kaempferol, which can be found in a wide variety of herbs and plant families. Apart from their anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory effects, kaempferol and its associated compounds also exhibit antibacterial, antifungal, and antiprotozoal activities. The development of drugs and treatment schemes based on these compounds is becoming increasingly important in the face of emerging resistance of numerous pathogens as well as complex molecular interactions between various drug therapies. In addition, many of the kaempferol-containing plants are used in traditional systems all over the world for centuries to treat numerous conditions. Due to its variety of sources and associated compounds, some molecular mechanisms of kaempferol antimicrobial activity are well known while others are still under analysis. This paper thoroughly documents the vegetal and food sources of kaempferol as well as the most recent and significant studies regarding its antimicrobial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Argyrios Periferakis
- Department of Physiology, The “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
- Akadimia of Ancient Greek and Traditional Chinese Medicine, 16675 Athens, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Periferakis
- Akadimia of Ancient Greek and Traditional Chinese Medicine, 16675 Athens, Greece
- Pan-Hellenic Organization of Educational Programs (P.O.E.P), 17236 Athens, Greece
- Orasis Acupuncture Institute, 11526 Athens, Greece
| | - Ioana Anca Badarau
- Department of Physiology, The “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Elena Madalina Petran
- Department of Biochemistry, The “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Toxicology, Grigore Alexandrescu Emergency Children’s Hospital, 011743 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Delia Codruta Popa
- Department of Biochemistry, The “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Hematology, Fundeni Clinical Institute, 022328 Bucharest, Romania
- Correspondence: (D.C.P.); (C.S.)
| | - Ana Caruntu
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, ‘Dr. Carol Davila’ Central Military Emergency Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dental Medicine, ‘Titu Maiorescu’ University, 031593 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Raluca Simona Costache
- Department of Gastroenterology, Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine Clinic, ‘Dr. Carol Davila’ Central Military Emergency Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Cristian Scheau
- Department of Physiology, The “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
- Correspondence: (D.C.P.); (C.S.)
| | - Constantin Caruntu
- Department of Physiology, The “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
- Department of Dermatology, ‘Prof. N.C. Paulescu’ National Institute of Diabetes, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, 011233 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Daniel Octavian Costache
- Department of Dermatology, ‘Dr. Carol Davila’ Central Military Emergency Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania
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39
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Franco JR, Cecchi G, Priotto G, Paone M, Kadima Ebeja A, Simarro PP, Diarra A, Sankara D, Zhao W, Dagne DA. Human African trypanosomiasis cases diagnosed in non-endemic countries (2011-2020). PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010885. [PMID: 36342910 PMCID: PMC9639846 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sleeping sickness, or human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), is transmitted by tsetse flies in endemic foci in sub-Saharan Africa. Because of international travel and population movements, cases are also occasionally diagnosed in non-endemic countries. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Antitrypanosomal medicines to treat the disease are available gratis through the World Health Organization (WHO) thanks to a public-private partnership, and exclusive distribution of the majority of them enables WHO to gather information on all exported cases. Data collected by WHO are complemented by case reports and scientific publications. During 2011-2020, 49 cases of HAT were diagnosed in 16 non-endemic countries across five continents: 35 cases were caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, mainly in tourists visiting wildlife areas in eastern and southern Africa, and 14 cases were due to T. b. gambiense, mainly in African migrants originating from or visiting endemic areas in western and central Africa. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE HAT diagnosis in non-endemic countries is rare and can be challenging, but alertness and surveillance must be maintained to contribute to WHO's elimination goals. Early detection is particularly important as it considerably improves the prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose R. Franco
- World Health Organization, Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Prevention, Treatment and Care, Geneva, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
| | - Giuliano Cecchi
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Animal Production and Health Division, Rome, Italy
| | - Gerardo Priotto
- World Health Organization, Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Prevention, Treatment and Care, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Massimo Paone
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Animal Production and Health Division, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Abdoulaye Diarra
- World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo
| | - Dieudonné Sankara
- World Health Organization, Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Prevention, Treatment and Care, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Weining Zhao
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Animal Production and Health Division, Rome, Italy
| | - Daniel Argaw Dagne
- World Health Organization, Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Prevention, Treatment and Care, Geneva, Switzerland
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40
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Bernhard S, Kaiser M, Burri C, Mäser P. Fexinidazole for Human African Trypanosomiasis, the Fruit of a Successful Public-Private Partnership. Diseases 2022; 10:90. [PMID: 36278589 PMCID: PMC9589988 DOI: 10.3390/diseases10040090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 08/14/2023] Open
Abstract
After 100 years of chemotherapy with impractical and toxic drugs, an oral cure for human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is available: Fexinidazole. In this case, we review the history of drug discovery for HAT with special emphasis on the discovery, pre-clinical development, and operational challenges of the clinical trials of fexinidazole. The screening of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) HAT-library by the Swiss TPH had singled out fexinidazole, originally developed by Hoechst (now Sanofi), as the most promising of a series of over 800 nitroimidazoles and related molecules. In cell culture, fexinidazole has an IC50 of around 1 µM against Trypanosoma brucei and is more than 100-fold less toxic to mammalian cells. In the mouse model, fexinidazole cures both the first, haemolymphatic, and the second, meningoencephalitic stage of the infection, the latter at 100 mg/kg twice daily for 5 days. In patients, the clinical trials managed by DNDi and supported by Swiss TPH mainly conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo demonstrated that oral fexinidazole is safe and effective for use against first- and early second-stage sleeping sickness. Based on the positive opinion issued by the European Medicines Agency in 2018, the WHO has released new interim guidelines for the treatment of HAT including fexinidazole as the new therapy for first-stage and non-severe second-stage sleeping sickness caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (gHAT). This greatly facilitates the diagnosis and treatment algorithm for gHAT, increasing the attainable coverage and paving the way towards the envisaged goal of zero transmission by 2030.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Bernhard
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Kaiser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christian Burri
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Mäser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
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41
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Markandan K, Tiong YW, Sankaran R, Subramanian S, Markandan UD, Chaudhary V, Numan A, Khalid M, Walvekar R. Emergence of infectious diseases and role of advanced nanomaterials in point-of-care diagnostics: a review. Biotechnol Genet Eng Rev 2022:1-89. [PMID: 36243900 DOI: 10.1080/02648725.2022.2127070] [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: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Infectious outbreaks are the foremost global public health concern, challenging the current healthcare system, which claims millions of lives annually. The most crucial way to control an infectious outbreak is by early detection through point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. POC diagnostics are highly advantageous owing to the prompt diagnosis, which is economical, simple and highly efficient with remote access capabilities. In particular, utilization of nanomaterials to architect POC devices has enabled highly integrated and portable (compact) devices with enhanced efficiency. As such, this review will detail the factors influencing the emergence of infectious diseases and methods for fast and accurate detection, thus elucidating the underlying factors of these infections. Furthermore, it comprehensively highlights the importance of different nanomaterials in POCs to detect nucleic acid, whole pathogens, proteins and antibody detection systems. Finally, we summarize findings reported on nanomaterials based on advanced POCs such as lab-on-chip, lab-on-disc-devices, point-of-action and hospital-on-chip. To this end, we discuss the challenges, potential solutions, prospects of integrating internet-of-things, artificial intelligence, 5G communications and data clouding to achieve intelligent POCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalaimani Markandan
- Temasek Laboratories, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Drive, Singapore
- Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Built Environment, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Yong Wei Tiong
- NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Engineering Drive, Singapore
| | - Revathy Sankaran
- Graduate School, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Sakthinathan Subramanian
- Department of Materials & Mineral Resources Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT), Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Vishal Chaudhary
- Research Cell & Department of Physics, Bhagini Nivedita College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Arshid Numan
- Graphene & Advanced 2D Materials Research Group (GAMRG), School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
- Sunway Materials Smart Science & Engineering (SMS2E) Research Cluster School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Mohammad Khalid
- Graphene & Advanced 2D Materials Research Group (GAMRG), School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
- Sunway Materials Smart Science & Engineering (SMS2E) Research Cluster School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Rashmi Walvekar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University Malaysia, Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia
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42
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da Silva VS, Machado CR. Sex in protists: A new perspective on the reproduction mechanisms of trypanosomatids. Genet Mol Biol 2022; 45:e20220065. [PMID: 36218381 PMCID: PMC9552303 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2022-0065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The Protist kingdom individuals are the most ancestral representatives of
eukaryotes. They have inhabited Earth since ancient times and are currently
found in the most diverse environments presenting a great heterogeneity of life
forms. The unicellular and multicellular algae, photosynthetic and heterotrophic
organisms, as well as free-living and pathogenic protozoa represents the protist
group. The evolution of sex is directly associated with the origin of eukaryotes
being protists the earliest protagonists of sexual reproduction on earth. In
eukaryotes, the recombination through genetic exchange is a ubiquitous mechanism
that can be stimulated by DNA damage. Scientific evidences support the
hypothesis that reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced DNA damage can promote
sexual recombination in eukaryotes which might have been a decisive factor for
the origin of sex. The fact that some recombination enzymes also participate in
meiotic sex in modern eukaryotes reinforces the idea that sexual reproduction
emerged as consequence of specific mechanisms to cope with mutations and
alterations in genetic material. In this review we will discuss about origin of
sex and different strategies of evolve sexual reproduction in some protists such
that cause human diseases like malaria, toxoplasmosis, sleeping sickness, Chagas
disease, and leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verônica Santana da Silva
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Genética,
Ecologia e Evolução, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Carlos Renato Machado
- Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Bioquímica e
Imunologia, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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43
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Jamabo M, Bentley SJ, Macucule-Tinga P, Tembo P, Edkins AL, Boshoff A. In silico analysis of the HSP90 chaperone system from the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:947078. [PMID: 36213128 PMCID: PMC9538636 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.947078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
African trypanosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by Trypanosoma brucei (T. brucei) and spread by the tsetse fly in sub-Saharan Africa. The trypanosome relies on heat shock proteins for survival in the insect vector and mammalian host. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) plays a crucial role in the stress response at the cellular level. Inhibition of its interactions with chaperones and co-chaperones is being explored as a potential therapeutic target for numerous diseases. This study provides an in silico overview of HSP90 and its co-chaperones in both T. brucei brucei and T. brucei gambiense in relation to human and other trypanosomal species, including non-parasitic Bodo saltans and the insect infecting Crithidia fasciculata. A structural analysis of T. brucei HSP90 revealed differences in the orientation of the linker and C-terminal domain in comparison to human HSP90. Phylogenetic analysis displayed the T. brucei HSP90 proteins clustering into three distinct groups based on subcellular localizations, namely, cytosol, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum. Syntenic analysis of cytosolic HSP90 genes revealed that T. b. brucei encoded for 10 tandem copies, while T. b. gambiense encoded for three tandem copies; Leishmania major (L. major) had the highest gene copy number with 17 tandem copies. The updated information on HSP90 from recently published proteomics on T. brucei was examined for different life cycle stages and subcellular localizations. The results show a difference between T. b. brucei and T. b. gambiense with T. b. brucei encoding a total of twelve putative HSP90 genes, while T. b. gambiense encodes five HSP90 genes. Eighteen putative co-chaperones were identified with one notable absence being cell division cycle 37 (Cdc37). These results provide an updated framework on approaching HSP90 and its interactions as drug targets in the African trypanosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miebaka Jamabo
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | | | | | - Praise Tembo
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Adrienne Lesley Edkins
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Biomedical Biotechnology Research Unit (BioBRU), Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Aileen Boshoff
- Biotechnology Innovation Centre, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
- *Correspondence: Aileen Boshoff,
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44
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A multi-adenylate cyclase regulator at the flagellar tip controls African trypanosome transmission. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5445. [PMID: 36114198 PMCID: PMC9481589 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33108-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Signaling from ciliary microdomains controls developmental processes in metazoans. Trypanosome transmission requires development and migration in the tsetse vector alimentary tract. Flagellar cAMP signaling has been linked to parasite social motility (SoMo) in vitro, yet uncovering control of directed migration in fly organs is challenging. Here we show that the composition of an adenylate cyclase (AC) complex in the flagellar tip microdomain is essential for tsetse salivary gland (SG) colonization and SoMo. Cyclic AMP response protein 3 (CARP3) binds and regulates multiple AC isoforms. CARP3 tip localization depends on the cytoskeletal protein FLAM8. Re-localization of CARP3 away from the tip microdomain is sufficient to abolish SoMo and fly SG colonization. Since intrinsic development is normal in carp3 and flam8 knock-out parasites, AC complex-mediated tip signaling specifically controls parasite migration and thereby transmission. Participation of several developmentally regulated receptor-type AC isoforms may indicate the complexity of the in vivo signals perceived. Trypanosomes can sense signal molecules and coordinate their movement in response to such signals, a phenomenon termed social motility (SoMo). Here, Bachmaier et al show that cyclic AMP response protein 3 (CARP3) localization to the flagellar tip and its interaction with a number of different adenylate cyclases is essential for migration to tsetse fly salivary glands and for SoMo, therewith linking SoMo and cAMP signaling to trypanosome transmission.
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45
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Koester DC, Marx VM, Williams S, Jiricek J, Dauphinais M, René O, Miller SL, Zhang L, Patra D, Chen YL, Cheung H, Gable J, Lakshminarayana SB, Osborne C, Galarneau JR, Kulkarni U, Richmond W, Bretz A, Xiao L, Supek F, Wiesmann C, Honnappa S, Be C, Mäser P, Kaiser M, Ritchie R, Barrett MP, Diagana TT, Sarko C, Rao SPS. Discovery of Novel Quinoline-Based Proteasome Inhibitors for Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT). J Med Chem 2022; 65:11776-11787. [PMID: 35993839 PMCID: PMC9469205 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a vector-borne disease caused by kinetoplastid parasites of the Trypanosoma genus. The disease proceeds in two stages, with a hemolymphatic blood stage and a meningo-encephalic brain stage. In the latter stage, the parasite causes irreversible damage to the brain leading to sleep cycle disruption and is fatal if untreated. An orally bioavailable treatment is highly desirable. In this study, we present a brain-penetrant, parasite-selective 20S proteasome inhibitor that was rapidly optimized from an HTS singleton hit to drug candidate compound 7 that showed cure in a stage II mouse efficacy model. Here, we describe hit expansion and lead optimization campaign guided by cryo-electron microscopy and an in silico model to predict the brain-to-plasma partition coefficient Kp as an important parameter to prioritize compounds for synthesis. The model combined with in vitro and in vivo experiments allowed us to advance compounds with favorable unbound brain-to-plasma ratios (Kp,uu) to cure a CNS disease such as HAT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis C. Koester
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Vanessa M. Marx
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Sarah Williams
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Jan Jiricek
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Maxime Dauphinais
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Olivier René
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Sarah L. Miller
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Lei Zhang
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Debjani Patra
- Novartis
Institutes for Tropical Diseases, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Yen-Liang Chen
- Lead
Discovery, Novartis Institutes for Tropical
Diseases, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Harry Cheung
- Lead
Discovery, Novartis Institutes for Tropical
Diseases, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Jonathan Gable
- Lead
Discovery, Novartis Institutes for Tropical
Diseases, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Suresh B. Lakshminarayana
- Pharmacokinetic
Sciences, Novartis Institutes for Tropical
Diseases, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Colin Osborne
- Pharmacokinetic
Sciences, Pharmacology and Comparative Medicine, Novartis Institutes for Tropical Diseases, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Jean-Rene Galarneau
- Preclinical
Safety, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical
Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Upendra Kulkarni
- Chemical
and Pharmaceutical Profiling, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Wendy Richmond
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | - Angela Bretz
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | - Linda Xiao
- Pharmacology, Novartis Institutes for Tropical Diseases, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Frantisek Supek
- Novartis
Institutes for Biomedical Research, San Diego, California 92121, United States
| | | | - Srinivas Honnappa
- Novartis
Institutes for Biomedical Research, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Celine Be
- Novartis
Institutes for Biomedical Research, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pascal Mäser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, CH 4000 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Kaiser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, CH 4000 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ryan Ritchie
- University of Glasgow, University Place, Glasgow G12 8TA, U.K
| | | | - Thierry T. Diagana
- Novartis
Institutes for Tropical Diseases, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Christopher Sarko
- Global
Discovery Chemistry, Novartis Institutes
for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
| | - Srinivasa P. S. Rao
- Novartis
Institutes for Tropical Diseases, Emeryville, California 94608, United States
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46
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Melachio Tanekou TT, Bouaka Tsakeng CU, Tirados I, Torr SJ, Njiokou F, Acho A, Wondji CS. Environmental mutations in the Campo focus challenge elimination of sleeping sickness transmission in Cameroon. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 36:260-268. [PMID: 35593526 PMCID: PMC10138755 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Sleeping sickness is still prevalent in Campo, southern Cameroon, despite the efforts of World Health Organization and the National Control Programme in screening and treating cases. Reducing disease incidence still further may need the control of tsetse vectors. We update entomological and parasitological parameters necessary to guide tsetse control in Campo. Tsetse flies were trapped, their apparent densities were evaluated as the number of flies captured per trap per day and mapped using GIS tools. Polymerase chain reaction based methods were used to identify their trypanosome infection rates. Glossina palpalis palpalis was the dominant vector species representing 93.42% and 92.85% of flies captured respectively during the heavy and light dry seasons. This species presented high densities, that is, 3.87, 95% CI [3.84-3.91], and 2.51, 95% CI [2.49-2.53] flies/trap/day in the two seasons. Moreover, 16.79% (of 1054) and 20.23% (of 1132 flies) were found infected with at least 1 trypanosome species for the 2 seasons respectively, Trypanosoma congolense being the most prevalent species, and Trypanosoma. brucei gambiense identified in 4 samples. Tsetse flies are abundant in Campo and present high trypanosome infection rates. The detection of tsetse infected with human trypanosomes near the newly created palm grove show workers' exposition. Tsetse densities maps built will guide vector control with 'Tiny Targets'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tito Tresor Melachio Tanekou
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID)YaoundéCameroon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of BamendaBamendaCameroon
| | - Calmes Ursain Bouaka Tsakeng
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID)YaoundéCameroon
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of Yaoundé IYaoundéCameroon
| | - Inaki Tirados
- Department of Vector BiologyLiverpool School of Tropical MedicineLiverpoolUK
| | - Steve J. Torr
- Department of Vector BiologyLiverpool School of Tropical MedicineLiverpoolUK
| | - Flobert Njiokou
- Department of Animal Biology and Physiology, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of Yaoundé IYaoundéCameroon
| | - Alphonse Acho
- Programme National de Lutte contre la Trypanosomose Humaine Africaine (PNLTHA)Ministry of Public HealthYaoundéCameroon
| | - Charles Sinclair Wondji
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID)YaoundéCameroon
- Department of Vector BiologyLiverpool School of Tropical MedicineLiverpoolUK
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47
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Mousavi A, Foroumadi P, Emamgholipour Z, Mäser P, Kaiser M, Foroumadi A. 2-(Nitroaryl)-5-Substituted-1,3,4-Thiadiazole Derivatives with Antiprotozoal Activities: In Vitro and In Vivo Study. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27175559. [PMID: 36080325 PMCID: PMC9457997 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27175559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitro-containing compounds are a well-known class of anti-infective agents, especially in the field of anti-parasitic drug discovery. HAT or sleeping sickness is a neglected tropical disease caused by a protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma brucei. Following the approval of fexinidazole as the first oral treatment for both stages of T. b. gambiense HAT, there is an increased interest in developing new nitro-containing compounds against parasitic diseases. In our previous projects, we synthesized several megazole derivatives that presented high activity against Leishmania major promastigotes. Here, we screened and evaluated their trypanocidal activity. Most of the compounds showed submicromolar IC50 against the BSF form of T. b. rhodesiense (STIB 900). To the best of our knowledge, compound 18c is one of the most potent nitro-containing agents reported against HAT in vitro. Compound 18g revealed an acceptable cure rate in the acute mouse model of HAT, accompanied with noteworthy in vitro activity against T. brucei, T. cruzi, and L. donovani. Taken together, these results suggest that these compounds are promising candidates to evaluate their pharmacokinetic and biological profiles in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Mousavi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417614411, Iran
| | - Parham Foroumadi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, International Campus, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417614411, Iran
| | - Zahra Emamgholipour
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417614411, Iran
| | - Pascal Mäser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- Faculty of Science, University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Kaiser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Allschwil, Switzerland
- Faculty of Science, University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
- Correspondence: (M.K.); (A.F.)
| | - Alireza Foroumadi
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417614411, Iran
- Drug Design and Development Research Center, The Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (TIPS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417614411, Iran
- Correspondence: (M.K.); (A.F.)
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48
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Orahoske CM, Afrin M, Li Y, Hanna J, Marbury M, Li B, Su B. Identification of Prazosin as a Potential Flagellum Attachment Zone 1(FAZ1) Inhibitor for the Treatment of Human African Trypanosomiasis. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:1711-1726. [PMID: 35894227 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) remains a health threat to sub-Saharan Africa. The current treatments suffer from drug resistance and life-threatening side effects, making drug discovery for HAT still important. A high-throughput screening of the library of pharmaceutically active compounds identified prazosin, an α-adrenoceptor antagonist, that showed selective activity toward Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Furthermore, a series of prazosin analogues were examined, and overall, the new analogues had improved activity and selectivity. To elucidate the binding partner, a biotin-conjugated probe was synthesized, and a protein pulldown assay combined with a proteomic analysis identified the flagellum attachment zone 1 (FAZ1) filament as an interacting partner. Additionally, prazosin treatment resulted in dysfunction of the flagellum of trypanosome cells, which is indicative of a FAZ1 irregularity. We also examined the drug distribution by utilizing immunofluorescence with a designed fluorescent analogue that showed partial colocalization with FAZ1. With the activity of the prazosin analogues, a structure-activity relationship (SAR) was summarized for future lead optimization. Our findings provide a new group of FAZ1 inhibitors as novel antitrypanosomal agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody M Orahoske
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Sciences & Health Professions, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44115, United States
| | - Marjia Afrin
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Sciences and Health Professions, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44115, United States
| | - Yaxin Li
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Sciences & Health Professions, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44115, United States
| | - Jovana Hanna
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Sciences & Health Professions, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44115, United States
| | - Myah Marbury
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Sciences & Health Professions, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44115, United States
| | - Bibo Li
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Sciences and Health Professions, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44115, United States
| | - Bin Su
- Department of Chemistry, Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, College of Sciences & Health Professions, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44115, United States
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49
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Sereno D, Oury B, Geiger A, Vela A, Karmaoui A, Desquesnes M. Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification to Detect Infection Caused by Parasites of the Trypanosomatidae Family: A Literature Review and Opinion on the Laboratory to Field Applicability. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23147543. [PMID: 35886895 PMCID: PMC9322063 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23147543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Isothermal amplification of nucleic acids has the potential to be applied in resource-limited areas for the detection of infectious agents, as it does not require complex nucleic purification steps or specific and expensive equipment and reagents to perform the reaction and read the result. Since human and animal infections by pathogens of the Tryponasomatidae family occur mainly in resource-limited areas with scant health infrastructures and personnel, detecting infections by these methodologies would hold great promise. Here, we conduct a narrative review of the literature on the application of isothermal nucleic acid amplification for Trypanosoma and Leishmania infections, which are a scourge for human health and food security. We highlight gaps and propose ways to improve them to translate these powerful technologies into real-world field applications for neglected human and animal diseases caused by Trypanosomatidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denis Sereno
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Montpellier, UMR INTERTRYP IRD, CIRAD, Parasite Infectiology and Public Health Group, 34032 Montpellier, France;
- Correspondence:
| | - Bruno Oury
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Montpellier, UMR INTERTRYP IRD, CIRAD, Parasite Infectiology and Public Health Group, 34032 Montpellier, France;
| | - Anne Geiger
- Centre International de Recherche en Agronomie pour le Développement, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de Montpellier, UMR INTERTRYP IRD, 34032 Montpellier, France;
| | - Andrea Vela
- One Health Research Group, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de las Américas-Quito, Calle de los Colimes y Avenida De los Granados, Quito 170513, Ecuador;
| | - Ahmed Karmaoui
- Bioactives (Health and Environmental, Epigenetics Team), Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Errachidia (UMI), Moroccan Center for Culture and Sciences, University Moulay Ismail, Meknes 50000, Morocco;
| | - Marc Desquesnes
- CIRAD, UMR INTERTRYP, 31076 Toulouse, France;
- INTERTRYP, Université de Montpellier, CIRAD, IRD, 34032 Montpellier, France
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50
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Haji I, Simuunza M, Kerario II, Jiang N, Chen Q. Epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens of cattle and tick control practices among mixed farming and pastoral communities in Gairo and Monduli districts, Tanzania. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2022; 32:100738. [PMID: 35725102 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2022.100738] [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: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Tick-borne diseases including East Coast fever, anaplasmosis and babesiosis constitute a major constraint to improving livestock production worldwide, including Tanzania. Determination of the prevalence and factors associated with the occurrence of pathogens in cattle is important for informed decision making on the control and prevention of these diseases. However, little is known about the epidemiology of these pathogens in cattle in some regions of Tanzania. Therefore, this study aimed at establishing the prevalence of Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bigemina, Babesia bovis and Theileria parva in cattle, determine the risk factors associated with infection with these pathogens and also to assess tick control practices in Gairo and Monduli districts of Tanzania. Out of the 520 cattle sampled, the majority (82.9%) were infested with ticks of different species, predominated by Rhipicephalus decoloratus (42.7%), Amblyomma variegatum (31.3%), Rhipicephalus pulchellus (23.1%) and Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (17.7%). Other ticks that were found on cattle included Rhipicephalus microplus (15.8%), Amblyomma gema (13.8%), Rhipicephalus evertsi (12.9%), Amblyomma lepidum (8.1%), Hyalomma truncatum (2.9%) and Hyalomma albiparmatum (2.1%). On microscopy 23 (4.4%) of 520 cattle were positive for hemoparasites. Of the 23 positive cattle, 13 (2.5%), 6 (1.2%) and 3 (0.6%) were monolithically infected with A. marginale, T. parva, and B. bovis respectively, while one (0.2% %) had co-infections of T. parva and A. marginale. The number of positive cattle increased to 184 (35.4%), when they were subjected to detection with PCR. This included the 23 samples that were positive on microscopy. Based on PCR, the overall prevalence of the pathogens from the two districts was 11.5%, 11.2%, 6.2% and 2.5% for B. bigemina, A. marginale, T. parva and B. bovis, respectively. Hemoparasite co-infection occurred in 6.9% of the cattle examined. The prevalence of co-infections was 2.7%, 4%, and 0.02% for T. parva/A. marginale, B. bigemina/A. marginale and B. bigemina/A. marginale/T. parva, respectively. Cattle with co-infections had significantly lower (p < 0.005) mean packed cell volume as compared to cattle with mono-infections. The majority (96%) of cattle examined were subjected to different methods of tick control. A number of risk factors were shown to be associated with the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens in cattle. Higher prevalence of A. marginale may be due to its wide range of biological and mechanical transmission. These findings could be used to strengthen future control programs for ticks and tick-borne diseases in the study areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isihaka Haji
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases in Northeast China, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Martin Simuunza
- Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, P. O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Isack Ibrahim Kerario
- Department of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences, College of Agriculture, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3004, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Ning Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases in Northeast China, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China; Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanisms of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 120 Dongling Road, Shenyang 110866, China
| | - Qijun Chen
- Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases in Northeast China, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China; Research Unit for Pathogenic Mechanisms of Zoonotic Parasites, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 120 Dongling Road, Shenyang 110866, China.
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