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Bogdan C, Islam NAK, Barinberg D, Soulat D, Schleicher U, Rai B. The immunomicrotope of Leishmania control and persistence. Trends Parasitol 2024; 40:788-804. [PMID: 39174373 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2024.07.013] [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: 06/20/2024] [Revised: 07/21/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Leishmania is an intracellular protozoan transmitted by sand fly vectors; it causes cutaneous, mucocutaneous, or visceral disease. Its growth and survival are impeded by type 1 T helper cell responses, which entail interferon (IFN)-γ-mediated macrophage activation. Leishmania partially escapes this host defense by triggering immune cell and cytokine responses that favor parasite replication rather than killing. Novel methods for in situ analyses have revealed that the pathways of immune control and microbial evasion are strongly influenced by the tissue context, the micro milieu factors, and the metabolism at the site of infection, which we collectively term the 'immunomicrotope'. Understanding the components and the impact of the immunomicrotope will enable the development of novel strategies for the treatment of chronic leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Bogdan
- Mikrobiologisches Institut - Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Wasserturmstraße 3/5, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany; FAU Profile Center Immunomedicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schlossplatz 1, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Noor-A-Kasida Islam
- Mikrobiologisches Institut - Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Wasserturmstraße 3/5, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - David Barinberg
- Mikrobiologisches Institut - Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Wasserturmstraße 3/5, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Didier Soulat
- Mikrobiologisches Institut - Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Wasserturmstraße 3/5, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany; FAU Profile Center Immunomedicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schlossplatz 1, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Ulrike Schleicher
- Mikrobiologisches Institut - Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Wasserturmstraße 3/5, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany; FAU Profile Center Immunomedicine, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schlossplatz 1, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Baplu Rai
- Mikrobiologisches Institut - Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Wasserturmstraße 3/5, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
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2
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Bhattacharya S, Chakraborty S, Manna D, Thakur P, Chakravorty N, Mukherjee B. Deciphering the intricate dynamics of inflammasome regulation in visceral and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis: A meta-analysis of consistencies. Acta Trop 2024; 257:107313. [PMID: 38964632 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107313] [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: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Post Kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) arises as a significant dermal sequel following Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani (LD). PKDL acts as a significant constrain for VL elimination serving as a crucial reservoir for LD. PKDL patients exhibit depigmented macular and papular lesions on their skin, which results in social discrimination due to loss of natural skin color. Inflammatory reactions, prevalent in both VL and PKDL, potentially lead to tissue damage in areas harboring the parasite. Disruption of the immune-inflammasomal network not only facilitates LD persistence but also leads to the skin hypopigmentation seen in PKDL, impacting social well-being. Activation of inflammasomal markers like STAT1, NLRP1, NLRP3, AIM2, CASP11, and NLRP12 have been identified as a common host-defense mechanism across various Leishmania infections. Conversely, Leishmania modulates inflammasome activation to sustain its presence within the host. Nevertheless, in specific instances of Leishmania infection, inflammasome activation can worsen disease pathology by promoting parasite proliferation and persistence. This study encompasses recent transcriptomic analyses conducted between 2016 and 2023 on human and murine subjects afflicted with VL/PKDL, elucidating significant alterations in inflammasomal markers in both conditions. It offers a comprehensive understanding how these markers contribute in disease progression, drawing upon available literature for logical analysis. Furthermore, our analysis identifies validated miRNA network that could potentially disrupt this crucial immune-inflammasomal network, thereby offering a plausible explanation on how secreted LD-factors could enable membrane-bound LD, isolated from the host cytoplasm, to modulate cytoplasmic inflammasomal markers. Insights from this study could guide the development of host-directed therapeutics to impede transmission and address hypopigmentation, thereby mitigating the social stigma associated with PKDL.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Debolina Manna
- School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Pradipti Thakur
- School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Nishant Chakravorty
- School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India
| | - Budhaditya Mukherjee
- School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India.
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3
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Surur AS, Chan CF, Bartz FM, Wong ILK, Nguyen VTD, Schulig L, Link A, Chan TH, Chow LMC, Bednarski PJ. Fexinidazole optimization: enhancing anti-leishmanial profile, metabolic stability and hERG safety. RSC Med Chem 2024:d4md00426d. [PMID: 39297060 PMCID: PMC11404002 DOI: 10.1039/d4md00426d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 09/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The lack of adequate anti-leishmanial therapies has led to the continued suffering of millions of people from developing nations. Moreover, optimism for a therapeutic intervention by fexinidazole was dashed due to the inability to maintain cures and control unwanted side effects. To solve these shortcomings, the structural elements of fexinidazole responsible for anti-leishmanial activity and toxicities were explored. Accordingly, a systematic analog design approach was taken for the synthesis of 24 novel analogs. We established the structural features important for activity and identified modifications that improved the hERG receptor safety and liver microsomal metabolic stability. Compared to fexinidazole, the S-configured imidazolooxazole analog 51 exhibited 25-fold greater potency against miltefosine resistant L. donovani amastigotes, greater metabolic stability and little hERG receptor inhibition. Replacement of the toxicophore nitro group for a cyano group resulted in a complete loss of anti-leishmanial activity. The SAR findings should be useful in the further development of this important class of anti-leishmanial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdrrahman Shemsu Surur
- Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald Greifswald 17489 Germany
- CDT-Africa, Addis Ababa University Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - Chin Fung Chan
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Hong Kong SAR China
| | - Frieda-Marie Bartz
- Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald Greifswald 17489 Germany
| | - Iris L K Wong
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Hong Kong SAR China
| | - Van T D Nguyen
- Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald Greifswald 17489 Germany
| | - Lukas Schulig
- Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald Greifswald 17489 Germany
| | - Andreas Link
- Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald Greifswald 17489 Germany
| | - Tak Hang Chan
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Hong Kong SAR China
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University Montreal Quebec H3A 2K6 Canada
| | - Larry M C Chow
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, and State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hung Hom Hong Kong SAR China
| | - Patrick J Bednarski
- Department of Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Institute of Pharmacy, University of Greifswald Greifswald 17489 Germany
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4
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Andrés-Rodríguez J, González-Montero MC, García-Fernández N, Calvo-Álvarez E, Pérez-Pertejo MY, Reguera-Torres RM, Balaña-Fouce R, García-Estrada C. Free Radical Production Induced by Nitroimidazole Compounds Lead to Cell Death in Leishmania infantum Amastigotes. Molecules 2024; 29:4041. [PMID: 39274889 PMCID: PMC11396368 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29174041] [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: 07/23/2024] [Revised: 08/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Leishmania infantum is the vector-borne trypanosomatid parasite causing visceral leishmaniasis in the Mediterranean basin. This neglected tropical disease is treated with a limited number of obsolete drugs that are not exempt from adverse effects and whose overuse has promoted the emergence of resistant pathogens. In the search for novel antitrypanosomatid molecules that help overcome these drawbacks, drug repurposing has emerged as a good strategy. Nitroaromatic compounds have been found in drug discovery campaigns as promising antileishmanial molecules. Fexinidazole (recently introduced for the treatment of stages 1 and 2 of African trypanosomiasis), and pretomanid, which share the nitroimidazole nitroaromatic structure, have provided antileishmanial activity in different studies. In this work, we have tested the in vitro efficacy of these two nitroimidazoles to validate our 384-well high-throughput screening (HTS) platform consisting of L. infantum parasites emitting the near-infrared fluorescent protein (iRFP) as a biomarker of cell viability. These molecules showed good efficacy in both axenic and intramacrophage amastigotes and were poorly cytotoxic in RAW 264.7 and HepG2 cultures. Fexinidazole and pretomanid induced the production of ROS in axenic amastigotes but were not able to inhibit trypanothione reductase (TryR), thus suggesting that these compounds may target thiol metabolism through a different mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Andrés-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
| | - María-Cristina González-Montero
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Nerea García-Fernández
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Estefanía Calvo-Álvarez
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - María-Yolanda Pérez-Pertejo
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
- Instituto de Biomedicina (IBIOMED), Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Rosa-María Reguera-Torres
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
- Instituto de Biomedicina (IBIOMED), 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
- Instituto de Biomedicina (IBIOMED), Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
| | - Carlos García-Estrada
- Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
- Instituto de Biomedicina (IBIOMED), Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain
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5
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Baber H, Aghajani A, Gallimore BH, Bethel C, Hyatt JG, King EFB, Price HP, Maciej-Hulme ML, Sari S, Winter A. Galactokinase-like protein from Leishmania donovani: Biochemical and structural characterization of a recombinant protein. Biochimie 2024; 223:31-40. [PMID: 38579894 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2024.03.017] [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: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
Leishmaniasis is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the protozoan Leishmania spp. parasites. Leishmaniasis is endemic in 98 countries around the world, and resistance to current anti-leishmanial drugs is rising. Our work has identified and characterised a previously unstudied galactokinase-like protein (GalK) in Leishmania donovani, which catalyses the MgATP-dependent phosphorylation of the C-1 hydroxyl group of d-galactose to galactose-1-phosphate. Here, we report the production of the catalytically active recombinant protein in E. coli, determination of its substrate specificity and kinetic constants, as well as analysis of its molecular envelope using in solution X-ray scattering. Our results reveal kinetic parameters in range with other galactokinases with an average apparent Km value of 76 μM for galactose, Vmax and apparent Kcat values with 4.46376 × 10-9 M/s and 0.021 s-1, respectively. Substantial substrate promiscuity was observed, with galactose being the preferred substrate, followed by mannose, fructose and GalNAc. LdGalK has a highly flexible protein structure suggestive of multiple conformational states in solution, which may be the key to its substrate promiscuity. Our data presents novel insights into the galactose salvaging pathway in Leishmania and positions this protein as a potential target for the development of pharmaceuticals seeking to interfere with parasite substrate metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasana Baber
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Huxley Building, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Arega Aghajani
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Huxley Building, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
| | - B Harold Gallimore
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Huxley Building, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Cassandra Bethel
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Huxley Building, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
| | - James G Hyatt
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Huxley Building, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Elizabeth F B King
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Huxley Building, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Helen P Price
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Huxley Building, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Marissa L Maciej-Hulme
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Huxley Building, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Suat Sari
- Hacettepe University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, 06100, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Anja Winter
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Huxley Building, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK.
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6
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Goyzueta-Mamani LD, Barazorda-Ccahuana HL, Candia-Puma MA, Galdino AS, Machado-de-Avila RA, Giunchetti RC, Medina-Franco JL, Florin-Christensen M, Ferraz Coelho EA, Chávez-Fumagalli MA. Targeting Leishmania infantum Mannosyl-oligosaccharide glucosidase with natural products: potential pH-dependent inhibition explored through computer-aided drug design. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1403203. [PMID: 38873424 PMCID: PMC11169604 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1403203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a serious public health issue, documented in more than ninety countries, where an estimated 500,000 new cases emerge each year. Regardless of novel methodologies, advancements, and experimental interventions, therapeutic limitations, and drug resistance are still challenging. For this reason, based on previous research, we screened natural products (NP) from Nuclei of Bioassays, Ecophysiology, and Biosynthesis of Natural Products Database (NuBBEDB), Mexican Compound Database of Natural Products (BIOFACQUIM), and Peruvian Natural Products Database (PeruNPDB) databases, in addition to structural analogs of Miglitol and Acarbose, which have been suggested as treatments for VL and have shown encouraging action against parasite's N-glycan biosynthesis. Using computer-aided drug design (CADD) approaches, the potential inhibitory effect of these NP candidates was evaluated by inhibiting the Mannosyl-oligosaccharide Glucosidase Protein (MOGS) from Leishmania infantum, an enzyme essential for the protein glycosylation process, at various pH to mimic the parasite's changing environment. Also, computational analysis was used to evaluate the Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity (ADMET) profile, while molecular dynamic simulations were used to gather information on the interactions between these ligands and the protein target. Our findings indicated that Ocotillone and Subsessiline have potential antileishmanial effects at pH 5 and 7, respectively, due to their high binding affinity to MOGS and interactions in the active center. Furthermore, these compounds were non-toxic and had the potential to be administered orally. This research indicates the promising anti-leishmanial activity of Ocotillone and Subsessiline, suggesting further validation through in vitro and in vivo experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Daniel Goyzueta-Mamani
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Haruna Luz Barazorda-Ccahuana
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Mayron Antonio Candia-Puma
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru
- Facultad de Ciencias Farmacéuticas, Bioquímicas y Biotecnológicas, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru
| | | | | | - Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti
- Laboratório de Biologia das Interações Celulares, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia de Doenças Tropicais (INCT-DT), Salvador, Brazil
| | - José L. Medina-Franco
- DIFACQUIM Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Chemistry, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Mónica Florin-Christensen
- Instituto de Patobiología Veterinaria, CICVyA, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Antonio Ferraz Coelho
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde: Infectologia e Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Departamento de Patologia Clínica, Colégio Técnico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (COLTEC), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Miguel Angel Chávez-Fumagalli
- Computational Biology and Chemistry Research Group, Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Peru
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Nogueira VB, de Oliveira Mendes-Aguiar C, Teixeira DG, Freire-Neto FP, Tassi LZ, Ferreira LC, Wilson ME, Lima JG, Jeronimo SMB. Impaired signaling pathways on Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy macrophages during Leishmania infantum infection. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11236. [PMID: 38755198 PMCID: PMC11099049 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61663-6] [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: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Berardinelli-Seip congenital lipodystrophy (CGL), a rare autosomal recessive disorder, is characterized by a lack of adipose tissue. Infections are one of the major causes of CGL individuals' premature death. The mechanisms that predispose to infections are poorly understood. We used Leishmania infantum as an in vitro model of intracellular infection to explore mechanisms underlying the CGL infection processes, and to understand the impact of host mutations on Leishmania survival, since this pathogen enters macrophages through specialized membrane lipid domains. The transcriptomic profiles of both uninfected and infected monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) from CGL (types 1 and 2) and controls were studied. MDMs infected with L. infantum showed significantly downregulated expression of genes associated with infection-response pathways (MHC-I, TCR-CD3, and granzymes). There was a transcriptomic signature in CGL cells associated with impaired membrane trafficking and signaling in response to infection, with concomitant changes in the expression of membrane-associated genes in parasites (e.g. δ-amastins). We identified pathways suggesting the lipid storage dysfunction led to changes in phospholipids expression and impaired responses to infection, including immune synapse (antigen presentation, IFN-γ signaling, JAK/STAT); endocytosis; NF-kappaB signaling; and phosphatidylinositol biosynthesis. In summary, lipid metabolism of the host plays an important role in determining antigen presentation pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane Brito Nogueira
- Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil
| | | | - Diego Gomes Teixeira
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil
| | - Francisco Paulo Freire-Neto
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil
| | - Leo Zenon Tassi
- Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Capistrano Ferreira
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil
- Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Mary Edythe Wilson
- Departments of Internal Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology, University of Iowa and the Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Josivan Gomes Lima
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Onofre Lopes University Hospital, 620 Nilo Pecanha, Natal, RN, 59013300, Brazil
| | - Selma Maria Bezerra Jeronimo
- Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
- Institute of Tropical Medicine of Rio Grande do Norte, 655 Passeio dos Girassois, Natal, RN, 59078190, Brazil.
- Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
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8
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Volkmar K, Jaedtka M, Baars I, Walber B, Philipp MS, Bagola K, Müller AJ, Heine H, van Zandbergen G. Investigating pyroptosis as a mechanism of L. major cell-to-cell spread in the human BLaER1 infection model. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:453-469. [PMID: 37612878 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15142] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Leishmania is the causative agent of the tropical neglected disease leishmaniasis and infects macrophages as its definitive host cell. In order to sustain and propagate infections, Leishmania parasites have to complete cycles of exit and re-infection. Yet, the mechanism driving the parasite spread to other cells remains unclear. Recent studies reported pro-inflammatory monocytes as replicative niche of Leishmania major and showed prolonged expression of IL-1β at the site of infection, indicating an activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and pointing toward pyroptosis as a possible mechanism of parasite spread. To address the species-specific inflammasome activation of human cells, we characterized the BLaER1 monocytes as a model for L. major infection. We found that BLaER1 monocytes support infection and activation by Leishmania parasites to the same extent as primary human macrophages. Harnessing the possibilities of this infection model, we first showed that BLaER1 GSDMD-/- cells, which carry a deletion of the pore-forming protein gasdermin D, are more resistant to pyroptotic cell death and, concomitantly, display a strongly delayed release of intracellular parasite. Using that knockout in a co-incubation assay in comparison with wild-type BLaER1 cells, we demonstrate that impairment of the pyroptosis pathway leads to lower rates of parasite spread to new host cells, thus, implicating pyroptotic cell death as a possible exit mechanism of L. major in pro-inflammatory microenvironments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerren Volkmar
- Division of Immunology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut Langen, Langen, Germany
- Institute for Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Moritz Jaedtka
- Division of Immunology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut Langen, Langen, Germany
- Institute for Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Iris Baars
- Experimental Immunodynamics, Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Bianca Walber
- Division of Immunology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut Langen, Langen, Germany
| | | | - Katrin Bagola
- Division of Immunology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut Langen, Langen, Germany
| | - Andreas J Müller
- Experimental Immunodynamics, Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Holger Heine
- Division of Innate Immunity, Research Center Borstel-Leibniz Lung Center, Airway Research Center North (ARCN), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Borstel, Germany
| | - Ger van Zandbergen
- Division of Immunology, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut Langen, Langen, Germany
- Institute for Immunology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Research Center for Immunotherapy (FZI), University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Alishvandi M, Bahrami S, Rashidi S, Hatam G. Isoenzyme characterization of Leishmania infantum toward checking the antioxidant activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:208. [PMID: 38360592 PMCID: PMC10870465 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09069-7] [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: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Leishmania infantum is the major causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in Mediterranean regions. Isoenzyme electrophoresis (IE), as a biochemical technique, is applied in the characterization of Leishmania species. The current study attempted to investigate the isoenzyme patterns of logarithmic and stationary promastigotes and axenic amastigotes (amastigote-like) of L. infantum using IE. The antioxidant activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) was also checked in the aforementioned forms. METHOD After L. infantum cultivation and obtaining logarithmic and stationary promastigotes, axenic amastigotes were achieved by incubation of stationary promastigotes at 37 °C for 48 h. The lysate samples were prepared and examined for six enzymatic systems including glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), nucleoside hydrolase 1 (NH1), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), glucose-phosphate isomerase (GPI), malic enzyme (ME), and phosphoglucomutase (PGM). Additionally, the antioxidant activity of SOD and GPX was measured. RESULTS GPI, MDH, NH1, and G6PD enzymatic systems represented different patterns in logarithmic and stationary promastigotes and axenic amastigotes of L. infantum. PGM and ME showed similar patterns in the aforementioned forms of parasite. The highest level of SOD activity was determined in the axenic amastigote form and GPX activity was not detected in different forms of L. infantum. CONCLUSION The characterization of leishmanial-isoenzyme patterns and the measurement of antioxidant activity of crucial antioxidant enzymes, including SOD and GPX, might reveal more information in the biology, pathogenicity, and metabolic pathways of Leishmania parasites and consequently drive to designing novel therapeutic strategies in leishmaniasis treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mostafa Alishvandi
- ¹Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Sajad Rashidi
- Molecular and Medicine Research Center, Khomein University of Medical Sciences, Khomein, Iran.
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Khomein University of Medical Sciences, Khomein, Iran.
| | - Gholamreza Hatam
- Basic Sciences in Infectious Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
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Cruz MGFDML, Santi AMM, de Morais-Teixeira E, Caldeira ASP, de Siqueira EP, Oliveira E, Alves TMDA, Murta SMF. Anti- Leishmania compounds can be screened using Leishmania spp. expressing red fluorescence ( tdTomato). Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024; 68:e0050923. [PMID: 38063403 PMCID: PMC10777850 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00509-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The main challenges associated with leishmaniasis chemotherapy are drug toxicity, the possible emergence of resistant parasites, and a limited choice of therapeutic agents. Therefore, new drugs and assays to screen and detect novel active compounds against leishmaniasis are urgently needed. We thus validated Leishmania braziliensis (Lb) and Leishmania infantum (Li) that constitutively express the tandem tomato red fluorescent protein (tdTomato) as a model for large-scale screens of anti-Leishmania compounds. Confocal microscopy of Lb and Li::tdTomato revealed red fluorescence distributed throughout the entire parasite, including the flagellum, and flow cytometry confirmed that the parasites emitted intense fluorescence. We evaluated the infectivity of cloned promastigotes and amastigotes constitutively expressing tdTomato, their growth profiles in THP-1 macrophages, and susceptibility to trivalent antimony, amphotericin, and miltefosine in vitro. The phenotypes of mutant and wild-type parasites were similar, indicating that the constitutive expression of tdTomato did not interfere with the evaluated parameters. We applied our validated model to a repositioning strategy and assessed the susceptibility of the parasites to eight commercially available drugs. We also screened 32 natural plant and fungal extracts and 10 pure substances to reveal new active compounds. The infectivity and Glucantime treatment efficacy of BALB/c mice and golden hamsters infected with Lb and Li::tdTomato mutant lines, respectively, were very similar compared to animals infected with wild-type parasites. Standardizing our methodology would offer more rapid, less expensive, and easier assays to screen of compounds against L. braziliensis and L. infantum in vitro and in vivo. Our method could also enhance the discovery of active compounds for treating leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariza Gabriela Faleiro de Moura Lodi Cruz
- Genômica Funcional de Parasitos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Química de Produtos Naturais Bioativos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Murta Santi
- Genômica Funcional de Parasitos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Eliane de Morais-Teixeira
- Pesquisa Clínica e Políticas Públicas em Doenças Infecto-Parasitárias, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Alisson Samuel Portes Caldeira
- Química de Produtos Naturais Bioativos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ezequias Pessoa de Siqueira
- Química de Produtos Naturais Bioativos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Edward Oliveira
- Genômica Funcional de Parasitos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Tânia Maria de Almeida Alves
- Química de Produtos Naturais Bioativos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Silvane Maria Fonseca Murta
- Genômica Funcional de Parasitos, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz FIOCRUZ Minas, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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11
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Lourenço EMG, da Silva F, das Neves AR, Bonfá IS, Ferreira AMT, Menezes ACG, da Silva MEC, Dos Santos JT, Martines MAU, Perdomo RT, Toffoli-Kadri MC, G Barbosa E, Saba S, Beatriz A, Rafique J, de Arruda CCP, de Lima DP. Investigation of the Potential Targets behind the Promising and Highly Selective Antileishmanial Action of Synthetic Flavonoid Derivatives. ACS Infect Dis 2023; 9:2048-2061. [PMID: 37772925 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00336] [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: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Leishmaniases are among the neglected tropical diseases that still cause devastating health, social, and economic consequences to more than 350 million people worldwide. Despite efforts to combat these vector-borne diseases, their incidence does not decrease. Meanwhile, current antileishmanial drugs are old and highly toxic, and safer presentations are unaffordable to the most severely affected human populations. In a previous study by our research group, we synthesized 17 flavonoid derivatives that demonstrated impressive inhibition capacity against rCPB2.8, rCPB3, and rH84Y. These cysteine proteases are highly expressed in the amastigote stage, the target form of the parasite. However, although these compounds have been already described in the literature, until now, the amastigote effect of any of these molecules has not been proven. In this work, we aimed to deeply analyze the antileishmanial action of this set of synthetic flavonoid derivatives by correlating their ability to inhibit cysteine proteases with the action against the parasite. Among all the synthesized flavonoid derivatives, 11 of them showed high activity against amastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis, also providing safety to mammalian host cells. Furthermore, the high production of nitric oxide by infected cells treated with the most active cysteine protease B (CPB) inhibitors confirms a potential immunomodulatory response of macrophages. Besides, considering flavonoids as multitarget drugs, we also investigated other potential antileishmanial mechanisms. The most active compounds were selected to investigate another potential biological pathway behind their antileishmanial action using flow cytometry analysis. The results confirmed an oxidative stress after 48 h of treatment. These data represent an important step toward the validation of CPB as an antileishmanial target, as well as aiding in new drug discovery studies based on this protease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estela M G Lourenço
- Laboratório de Síntese e Transformação de Moléculas Orgânicas -SINTMOL, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, Campo Grande, 79074-460 MS, Brazil
| | - Fernanda da Silva
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Humana, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, 79070-900, MS, Brazil
| | - Amarith R das Neves
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Humana, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, 79070-900, MS, Brazil
| | - Iluska S Bonfá
- Laboratório de Farmacologia e Inflamação, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Alimentos e Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, 79074-460 MS, Brazil
| | - Alda Maria T Ferreira
- Laboratório de Imunologia, Biologia Molecular e Bioensaios Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, 79070-900 MS, Brazil
| | - Adriana C G Menezes
- Biotério Central, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, 79070-900 MS, Brazil
| | - Maria E C da Silva
- Laboratório de Síntese e Transformação de Moléculas Orgânicas -SINTMOL, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, Campo Grande, 79074-460 MS, Brazil
| | - Jéssica T Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Síntese e Transformação de Moléculas Orgânicas -SINTMOL, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, Campo Grande, 79074-460 MS, Brazil
| | - Marco A U Martines
- Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, Campo Grande, 79074-460 MS, Brazil
| | - Renata T Perdomo
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Cultura de Células, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Alimentos e Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, 79070-900 MS, Brazil
| | - Mônica C Toffoli-Kadri
- Laboratório de Farmacologia e Inflamação, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Alimentos e Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, 79074-460 MS, Brazil
| | - Euzébio G Barbosa
- Laboratório de Química Farmacêutica Computacional, Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 59012-570, RN, Brazil
| | - Sumbal Saba
- Laboratório de Síntese Sustentável e Organocalcogênio - LabSO, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Goiás-UFG, Goiânia, 74690-900 GO, Brazil
| | - Adilson Beatriz
- Laboratório de Síntese e Transformação de Moléculas Orgânicas -SINTMOL, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, Campo Grande, 79074-460 MS, Brazil
| | - Jamal Rafique
- Laboratório de Síntese e Transformação de Moléculas Orgânicas -SINTMOL, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, Campo Grande, 79074-460 MS, Brazil
- Laboratório de Síntese Sustentável e Organocalcogênio - LabSO, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Goiás-UFG, Goiânia, 74690-900 GO, Brazil
| | - Carla C P de Arruda
- Laboratório de Parasitologia Humana, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, 79070-900, MS, Brazil
| | - Dênis P de Lima
- Laboratório de Síntese e Transformação de Moléculas Orgânicas -SINTMOL, Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, Campo Grande, 79074-460 MS, Brazil
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Moreira POL, Nogueira PM, Monte-Neto RL. Next-Generation Leishmanization: Revisiting Molecular Targets for Selecting Genetically Engineered Live-Attenuated Leishmania. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11041043. [PMID: 37110466 PMCID: PMC10145799 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11041043] [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: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of research devoted to finding a vaccine against leishmaniasis, we are still lacking a safe and effective vaccine for humans. Given this scenario, the search for a new prophylaxis alternative for controlling leishmaniasis should be a global priority. Inspired by leishmanization-a first generation vaccine strategy where live L. major parasites are inoculated in the skin to protect against reinfection-live-attenuated Leishmania vaccine candidates are promising alternatives due to their robust elicited protective immune response. In addition, they do not cause disease and could provide long-term protection upon challenge with a virulent strain. The discovery of a precise and easy way to perform CRISPR/Cas-based gene editing allowed the selection of safer null mutant live-attenuated Leishmania parasites obtained by gene disruption. Here, we revisited molecular targets associated with the selection of live-attenuated vaccinal strains, discussing their function, their limiting factors and the ideal candidate for the next generation of genetically engineered live-attenuated Leishmania vaccines to control leishmaniasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo O L Moreira
- Biotechnology Applied to Pathogens (BAP), Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz Minas, Belo Horizonte 30190-009, Brazil
| | - Paula M Nogueira
- Biotechnology Applied to Pathogens (BAP), Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz Minas, Belo Horizonte 30190-009, Brazil
| | - Rubens L Monte-Neto
- Biotechnology Applied to Pathogens (BAP), Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz Minas, Belo Horizonte 30190-009, Brazil
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