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Villamizar-Monsalve MA, López-Abán J, Vicente B, Peláez R, Muro A. Current drug strategies for the treatment and control of schistosomiasis. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2024; 25:409-420. [PMID: 38511392 DOI: 10.1080/14656566.2024.2333372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Schistosomiasis, one of the current Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) affects over 230 million people globally, with nearly 700 million at risk in more than 74 countries. Praziquantel (PZQ) has served as the primary treatment for the past four decades; however, its effectiveness is limited as it solely eliminates adult worms. In regions where infections are frequent, PZQ exhibits only temporary efficacy and has restricted potential to disrupt the prolonged transmission of the disease. AREAS COVERED A comprehensive exploration using the PubMed database was conducted to review current pharmacotherapy approaches for schistosomiasis. This review also encompasses recent research findings related to potential novel therapeutics and the repurposing of existing drugs. EXPERT OPINION Current schistosoma treatment strategies, primarily relying on PZQ, face challenges like temporary effectiveness and limited impact on disease transmission. Drug repurposing, due to economic constraints, is decisive for NTDs. Despite PZQ's efficacy, its failure to prevent reinfection highlights the need for complementary strategies, especially in regions with persistent environmental foci. Integrating therapies against diverse schistosome stages boosts efficacy and impedes resistance. Uncovering novel agents is essential to address resistance concerns in tackling this neglected tropical disease. Integrated strategies present a comprehensive approach to navigate the complex challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Alejandra Villamizar-Monsalve
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Group (e-INTRO), Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca Research Centre for Tropical Diseases at the University of Salamanca (IBSAL-CIETUS), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Julio López-Abán
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Group (e-INTRO), Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca Research Centre for Tropical Diseases at the University of Salamanca (IBSAL-CIETUS), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Belén Vicente
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Group (e-INTRO), Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca Research Centre for Tropical Diseases at the University of Salamanca (IBSAL-CIETUS), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Rafael Peláez
- Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca Research Centre for Tropical Diseases at the University of Salamanca (IBSAL-CIETUS), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Antonio Muro
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Group (e-INTRO), Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca Research Centre for Tropical Diseases at the University of Salamanca (IBSAL-CIETUS), Salamanca, Spain
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2
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Jiang Z, Silva EB, Liu C, Fajtová P, Liu LJ, El-Sakkary N, Skinner DE, Syed A, Wang SC, Caffrey CR, O’Donoghue AJ. Development of subunit selective proteasome substrates for Schistosoma species. bioRxiv 2024:2024.02.13.580161. [PMID: 38405969 PMCID: PMC10888821 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.13.580161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Schistosomiasis, or bilharzia, is a neglected tropical disease caused by Schistosoma spp. blood flukes that infects over 200 million people worldwide. Just one partially effective drug is available, and new drugs and drug targets would be welcome. The 20S proteasome is a validated drug target for many parasitic infections, including those caused by Plasmodium and Leishmania. We previously showed that anticancer proteasome inhibitors that act through the Schistosoma mansoni 20S proteasome (Sm20S) kill the parasite in vitro. To advance these initial findings, we employed Multiplex Substrate Profiling by Mass Spectrometry (MSP-MS) to define the substrate cleavage specificities of the three catalytic β subunits of purified Sm20S. The profiles in turn were used to design and synthesize subunit-specific optimized substrates that performed two to eight fold better than the equivalent substrates used to measure the activity of the constitutive human proteasome (c20S). These specific substrates also eliminated the need to purify Sm20S from parasite extracts - a single step enrichment was sufficient to accurately measure substrate hydrolysis and its inhibition with proteasome inhibitors. Finally, we show that the substrate and inhibition profiles for the 20S proteasome from the three medically important schistosome species are similar, suggesting that data arising from an inhibitor development campaign that focuses on Sm20S can be extrapolated to the other two targets with consequent time and cost savings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenze Jiang
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Disease, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | | | - Chenxi Liu
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Disease, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Pavla Fajtová
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Disease, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Lawrence J. Liu
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Disease, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Nelly El-Sakkary
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Disease, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Danielle E. Skinner
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Disease, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Ali Syed
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Disease, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Steven C Wang
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Disease, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Conor R. Caffrey
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Disease, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
| | - Anthony J. O’Donoghue
- Center for Discovery and Innovation in Parasitic Disease, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
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3
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Mian MY, Sharmin D, Mondal P, Belayet JB, Hossain MM, McCusker P, Ryan KT, Fedorov AY, Green HA, Ericksen SS, Zamanian M, Tiruveedhula VVNPB, Cook JM, Chan JD. Development of non-sedating antischistosomal benzodiazepines. bioRxiv 2024:2024.01.26.577323. [PMID: 38352313 PMCID: PMC10862742 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.26.577323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
The neglected tropical disease schistosomiasis infects over 200 million people worldwide and is treated with just one broad spectrum antiparasitic drug (praziquantel). Alternative drugs are needed in the event of emerging praziquantel resistance or treatment failure. One promising lead that has shown efficacy in animal models and a human clinical trial is the benzodiazepine meclonazepam, discovered by Roche in the 1970's. Meclonazepam was not brought to market because of dose-limiting sedative side effects. However, the human target of meclonazepam that causes sedation (GABAARs) are not orthologous to the parasite targets that cause worm death. Therefore, we were interested in whether the structure of meclonazepam could be modified to produce antiparasitic benzodiazepines that do not cause host sedation. We synthesized 18 meclonazepam derivatives with modifications at different positions on the benzodiazepine ring system and tested them for in vitro antiparasitic activity. This identified five compounds that progressed to in vivo screening in a murine model, two of which cured parasite infections with comparable potency to meclonazepam. When these two compounds were administered to mice that were run on the rotarod test, both were less sedating than meclonazepam. These findings demonstrate the proof of concept that meclonazepam analogs can be designed with an improved therapeutic index, and point to the C3 position of the benzodiazepine ring system as a logical site for further structure-activity exploration to further optimize this chemical series.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Yeunus Mian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Milwaukee Institute of Drug Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Dishary Sharmin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Milwaukee Institute of Drug Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Prithu Mondal
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Milwaukee Institute of Drug Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Jawad Bin Belayet
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Milwaukee Institute of Drug Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - M Mahmun Hossain
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Milwaukee Institute of Drug Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Paul McCusker
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States of America
| | - Kaetlyn T. Ryan
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Alexander Y Fedorov
- UW Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Heather A Green
- UW Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Spencer S. Ericksen
- UW Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Mostafa Zamanian
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - V. V. N. Phani Babu Tiruveedhula
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Milwaukee Institute of Drug Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - James M. Cook
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Milwaukee Institute of Drug Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - John D. Chan
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States of America
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI, USA
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4
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de Souza Neto LR, Montoya BO, Brandão-Neto J, Verma A, Bowyer S, Moreira-Filho JT, Dantas RF, Neves BJ, Andrade CH, von Delft F, Owens RJ, Furnham N, Silva-Jr FP. Fragment library screening by X-ray crystallography and binding site analysis on thioredoxin glutathione reductase of Schistosoma mansoni. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1582. [PMID: 38238498 PMCID: PMC10796382 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52018-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is caused by parasites of the genus Schistosoma, which infect more than 200 million people. Praziquantel (PZQ) has been the main drug for controlling schistosomiasis for over four decades, but despite that it is ineffective against juvenile worms and size and taste issues with its pharmaceutical forms impose challenges for treating school-aged children. It is also important to note that PZQ resistant strains can be generated in laboratory conditions and observed in the field, hence its extensive use in mass drug administration programs raises concerns about resistance, highlighting the need to search for new schistosomicidal drugs. Schistosomes survival relies on the redox enzyme thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR), a validated target for the development of new anti-schistosomal drugs. Here we report a high-throughput fragment screening campaign of 768 compounds against S. mansoni TGR (SmTGR) using X-ray crystallography. We observed 49 binding events involving 35 distinct molecular fragments which were found to be distributed across 16 binding sites. Most sites are described for the first time within SmTGR, a noteworthy exception being the "doorstop pocket" near the NADPH binding site. We have compared results from hotspots and pocket druggability analysis of SmTGR with the experimental binding sites found in this work, with our results indicating only limited coincidence between experimental and computational results. Finally, we discuss that binding sites at the doorstop/NADPH binding site and in the SmTGR dimer interface, should be prioritized for developing SmTGR inhibitors as new antischistosomal drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauro Ribeiro de Souza Neto
- LaBECFar - Laboratory of Experimental and Computational Biochemistry of Drugs, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Bogar Omar Montoya
- LaBECFar - Laboratory of Experimental and Computational Biochemistry of Drugs, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - José Brandão-Neto
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, UK
| | - Anil Verma
- Division of Structural Biology, The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sebastian Bowyer
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - José Teófilo Moreira-Filho
- LabMol - Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Design, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Rafael Ferreira Dantas
- LaBECFar - Laboratory of Experimental and Computational Biochemistry of Drugs, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Bruno Junior Neves
- Laboratory of Cheminformatics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Carolina Horta Andrade
- LabMol - Laboratory for Molecular Modeling and Design, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
- CRAFT - Center for Research and Advancement of Fragments and Molecular Targets, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Frank von Delft
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, UK
- Research Complex at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Harwell, UK
- Centre for Medicines Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Raymond J Owens
- Division of Structural Biology, The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Structural Biology, Rosalind Franklin Institute, Harwell, UK.
| | - Nicholas Furnham
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Floriano Paes Silva-Jr
- LaBECFar - Laboratory of Experimental and Computational Biochemistry of Drugs, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Zhu J, Zhang L, Xue Z, Li Z, Wang C, Chen F, Li Y, Dai Y, Zhou Y, Zhou S, Chen X, Okumura-Noji K, Lu R, Yokoyama S, Su C. Vaccination against the HDL receptor of S. japonicum inhibits egg embryonation and prevents fatal hepatic complication in rabbit model. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011749. [PMID: 38019787 PMCID: PMC10686426 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schistosomiasis is one of the most important neglected tropical infectious diseases to overcome and the primary cause of its pathogenesis is ectopic maturation of the parasite eggs. Uptake of cholesteryl ester from the host high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is a key in this process in Schistosoma japonicum and CD36-related protein (CD36RP) has been identified as the receptor for this reaction. Antibody against the extracellular domain of CD36RP (Ex160) efficiently blocked the HDL cholesteryl ester uptake and the egg embryonation in vitro. However, whether Ex160 immunization could efficiently raise proper antibody responses to sufficiently block HDL cholesteryl ester uptake and the egg embryonation to protect host in vivo is very interesting but unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In this study, rabbits were immunized with the recombinant Ex160 peptide (rEx160) to evaluate its anti-pathogenic vaccine potential. Immunization with rEx160 induced consistent anti-Ex160 IgG antibody and significant reduction in development of the liver granulomatosis lesions associated with suppressed intrahepatic maturation of the schistosome eggs. The immunization with rEx160 rescued reduction of serum HDL by the infection without changing its size distribution, being consistent with interference of the HDL lipid uptake by the parasites or their eggs by antibody against Ex160 in in vitro culture. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The results demonstrated that vaccination strategy against nutritional supply pathway of the parasite is effective for reducing its pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jifeng Zhu
- National Vaccine Innovation Platform, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lina Zhang
- Department of Blood Transfusion, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
- Department of Blood Transfusion of Central China Fuwai Hospital, Central China Fuwai Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Zechao Xue
- National Vaccine Innovation Platform, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zilüe Li
- National Vaccine Innovation Platform, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chun Wang
- National Vaccine Innovation Platform, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fanyan Chen
- National Vaccine Innovation Platform, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yalin Li
- National Vaccine Innovation Platform, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yang Dai
- Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yonghua Zhou
- Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China
| | - Sha Zhou
- National Vaccine Innovation Platform, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Xiaojun Chen
- National Vaccine Innovation Platform, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | | | - Rui Lu
- Food and Nutritional Sciences, Chubu University, Kasugai, Japan
| | - Shinji Yokoyama
- Food and Nutritional Sciences, Chubu University, Kasugai, Japan
| | - Chuan Su
- National Vaccine Innovation Platform, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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6
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Wit J, Dilks CM, Zhang G, Guisbert KSK, Zdraljevic S, Guisbert E, Andersen EC. Praziquantel inhibits Caenorhabditis elegans development and species-wide differences might be cct-8-dependent. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286473. [PMID: 37561720 PMCID: PMC10414639 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthelmintic drugs are used to treat parasitic roundworm and flatworm infections in humans and other animals. Caenorhabditis elegans is an established model to investigate anthelmintics used to treat roundworms. In this study, we use C. elegans to examine the mode of action and the mechanisms of resistance against the flatworm anthelmintic drug praziquantel (PZQ), used to treat trematode and cestode infections. We found that PZQ inhibited development and that this developmental delay varies by genetic background. Interestingly, both enantiomers of PZQ are equally effective against C. elegans, but the right-handed PZQ (R-PZQ) is most effective against schistosome infections. We conducted a genome-wide association mapping with 74 wild C. elegans strains to identify a region on chromosome IV that is correlated with differential PZQ susceptibility. Five candidate genes in this region: cct-8, znf-782, Y104H12D.4, Y104H12D.2, and cox-18, might underlie this variation. The gene cct-8, a subunit of the protein folding complex TRiC, has variation that causes a putative protein coding change (G226V), which is correlated with reduced developmental delay. Gene expression analysis suggests that this variant correlates with slightly increased expression of both cct-8 and hsp-70. Acute exposure to PZQ caused increased expression of hsp-70, indicating that altered TRiC function might be involved in PZQ responses. To test if this variant affects development upon exposure to PZQ, we used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to introduce the V226 allele into the N2 genetic background (G226) and the G226 allele into the JU775 genetic background (V226). These experiments revealed that this variant was not sufficient to explain the effects of PZQ on development. Nevertheless, this study shows that C. elegans can be used to study PZQ mode of action and resistance mechanisms. Additionally, we show that the TRiC complex requires further evaluation for PZQ responses in C. elegans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janneke Wit
- Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
| | - Clayton M. Dilks
- Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
| | - Gaotian Zhang
- Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
| | - Karen S. Kim Guisbert
- Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, United States of America
| | - Stefan Zdraljevic
- Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
| | - Eric Guisbert
- Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, United States of America
| | - Erik C. Andersen
- Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States of America
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7
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Muhsen IN, Galeano S, Niederwieser D, Koh MBC, Ljungman P, Machado CM, Kharfan-Dabaja MA, de la Camara R, Kodera Y, Szer J, Rasheed W, Cesaro S, Hashmi SK, Seber A, Atsuta Y, Saleh MFM, Srivastava A, Styczynski J, Alrajhi A, Almaghrabi R, Abid MB, Chemaly RF, Gergis U, Brissot E, El Fakih R, Riches M, Mikulska M, Worel N, Weisdorf D, Greinix H, Cordonnier C, Aljurf M. Endemic or regionally limited parasitic and fungal infections in haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation recipients: a Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT) Review. The Lancet Haematology 2023; 10:e295-e305. [PMID: 36990624 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3026(23)00031-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
There is a scarcity of data on endemic and regionally limited fungal and parasitic infections in recipients of haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) outside western Europe and North America. This Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (WBMT) Review is one of two papers aiming to provide guidance to transplantation centres worldwide regarding prevention, diagnosis, and treatment based on the currently available evidence and expert opinion. These recommendations were created and reviewed by physicians with expertise in HSCT or infectious disease, representing several infectious disease and HSCT groups and societies. In this paper, we review the literature on several endemic and regionally limited parasitic and fungal infections, some of which are listed as neglected tropical diseases by WHO, including visceral leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, strongyloidiasis, malaria, schistosomiasis, histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, and coccidioidomycosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim N Muhsen
- Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Dietger Niederwieser
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno Klinikos, Lithuania; Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Mickey B C Koh
- Infection and Immunity Clinical Academic Group, University of London and Department of Haematology, St George's Hospital and Medical School, London, UK; Cell Therapy Facility, Blood Services Group, Health Sciences Authority, Singapore
| | - Per Ljungman
- Department of Cellular Therapy and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center, Stockholm, Sweden; Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Clarisse M Machado
- Virology Laboratory Institute of Tropical Medicine-University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil; HCT Program - Hospital Amaral Carvalho, Jahu, Brazil
| | | | | | - Yoshihisa Kodera
- Center for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Aichi Medical University Hospital, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Jeff Szer
- Clinical Haematology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Walid Rasheed
- Adult Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Simone Cesaro
- Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Shahrukh K Hashmi
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Medicine, Sheikh Shakbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; College of Medicine & Health Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Adriana Seber
- Hospital Samaritano Higienópolis and Graacc - Unifesp, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Yoshiko Atsuta
- Japanese Data Center for Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, Nagakute, Japan; Department of Registry Science for Transplant and Cellular Therapy, Nagakute, Japan
| | - Mostafa F Mohammed Saleh
- Adult Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alok Srivastava
- Department of Hematology, Christian Medical College, Vellore, India; Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University Torun, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Jan Styczynski
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University Torun, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Abdulrahman Alrajhi
- Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reem Almaghrabi
- Organ Transplantation Center, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muhammad Bilal Abid
- Division of Divisions of Hematology/Oncology & Infectious Diseases, BMT & Cellular Therapy Program, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Roy F Chemaly
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control, and Employee Health, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Usama Gergis
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Eolia Brissot
- Service d'Hématologie Clinique et Thérapie Cellulaire, Hôpital Saint-Antoine, Sorbonne Université, INSERM UMRs 938, Paris, France
| | - Riad El Fakih
- Adult Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marcie Riches
- Division of Hematology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Malgorzata Mikulska
- Division of Infectious Diseases, DISSAL, University of Genova, Italy and IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy
| | - Nina Worel
- Department of Transfusion Medicine and Cell Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel Weisdorf
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, MN, USA
| | | | - Catherine Cordonnier
- Haematology Department, Henri Mondor Hospital and University Paris-Est-Créteil, Créteil, France
| | - Mahmoud Aljurf
- Adult Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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Valli A, Achilonu I. Molecular dynamics-derived pharmacophores of Schistosoma glutathione transferase in complex with bromosulfophthalein: Screening and analysis of potential inhibitors. J Mol Graph Model 2023; 122:108457. [PMID: 37004419 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2023.108457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/28/2023]
Abstract
Schistosoma glutathione transferases (GSTs) have been identified as attractive drug targets for the design of novel antischistosomals. Here, we used in silico methods to validate the discriminative inhibitory properties of bromosulfophthalein (BSP) against the 26-kDa GST from S. japonicum (Sj26GST), and the 28-kDa GST from S. haematobium (Sh28GST), versus human GST (hGST) isoforms alpha (hGSTA), mu (hGSTM) and pi (hGSTP). The use of BSP as an archetypal selective inhibitor was harnessed to produce molecular dynamics-derived pharmacophores of the two targets. Pharmacophore-based screening using a large dataset of experimental and approved drug compounds was performed to produce a shortlist of candidates. The top candidate for each target was prioritised via molecular docking, yielding guanosine-3'-monophosphate-5'-diphosphate (G3D) for Sj26GST, and quercetin-3'-O-phosphate (Q3P) for Sh28GST. Comparative molecular dynamics studies of both candidates compared to BSP showed similar characteristics of binding stability and strength, suggesting their potential to emulate the inhibitory effects of BSP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akeel Valli
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa
| | - Ikechukwu Achilonu
- Protein Structure-Function Research Unit, School of Molecular and Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2050, South Africa.
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Gebreyesus TD, Makonnen E, Tadele T, Mekete K, Gashaw H, Gerba H, Aklillu E. Efficacy and safety of praziquantel preventive chemotherapy in Schistosoma mansoni infected school children in Southern Ethiopia: A prospective cohort study. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:968106. [PMID: 36937860 PMCID: PMC10014719 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.968106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The World Health Organization recommends efficacy and safety surveillance of anti-helminths used in mass drug administration campaigns. We evaluated the effectiveness of single-dose praziquantel against Schistosoma mansoni infection, and the safety of praziquantel plus albendazole preventive chemotherapy (PC) in Schistosoma mansoni infected school children (n = 512) in Southern Ethiopia. Method: Stool examinations were done using thick smear Kato-Katz at baseline, week-4, and week-8 of post-Mass drug administration (MDA) to assess praziquantel efficacy. Participants were followed for MDA-associated adverse events up to day 7 of post-MDA. The primary and secondary study outcomes were praziquantel efficacy (parasitological cure and egg reduction rates) and MDA-associated adverse events (AEs), respectively. Result: The overall cure rates at week-4 and week-8 were 89.1% (95%CI = 86.1-91.7) and 87.5% (95%CI = 83.6-90.8), respectively. Cure rates among moderate-to-heavily infected children were significantly lower (p = 0.001) compared to those with light infection at week-4 (84.4% vs. 91.1%, p = 0.03) and week-8 (78.6% vs. 91.9%, respectively). Older children had a higher cure rate than younger ones at week-8 (90.1% vs. 79.5%, p = 0.01). Among those who were Schistosoma egg-free (cured) at week 4, 7.8% became egg-positive at week 8. The overall egg reduction rate (ERR) at week-4 and week-8 were 93.5% and 91.3%, respectively, being lower among the 5-9 years old age groups (p = 0.01) at week-8. The proportion of children who remained schistosoma egg-positive throughout the study follow-up period was 4.6%, and their ERR at week-4 and week-8 was 50% and 51%, respectively, which is below the 90% World Health Organization threshold for efficacy. The incidence of experiencing at least one type of MDA-associated AEs were 17.0% (95%CI = 13.8%-20.5%); abdominal pain, headache, and vomiting were the most common. The proportion of mild, moderate, and severe AEs was 63.2%, 26.3%, and 10.5%, respectively. Females experienced more AEs than males (p = 0.03). Conclusion: Single-dose praziquantel is still effective for the treatment of intestinal schistosomiasis. Praziquantel and albendazole preventive chemotherapy is safe and tolerable, and associated AEs are mostly mild-to-moderate and transient. However, the reduced PZQ effectiveness in moderate-to-heavy infection and observed AEs in about one-fifth of infected children underscores the need for better treatment strategies and surveillance for early detection of parasite resistance and management of AEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tigist Dires Gebreyesus
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Eyasu Makonnen
- Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Departments of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Tafesse Tadele
- College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Habtamu Gashaw
- Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Heran Gerba
- Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Eleni Aklillu
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Eleni Aklillu,
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Senghor B, Mathieu-Begné E, Rey O, Doucouré S, Sow D, Diop B, Sène M, Boissier J, Sokhna C. Urogenital schistosomiasis in three different water access in the Senegal river basin: prevalence and monitoring praziquantel efficacy and re-infection levels. BMC Infect Dis 2022; 22:968. [PMID: 36581796 PMCID: PMC9801593 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-022-07813-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Urogenital schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. In the Senegal river basin, the construction of the Diama dam led to an increase and endemicity of schistosomiasis. Since 2009, praziquantel has frequently been used as preventive chemotherapy in the form of mass administration to Senegalese school-aged children without monitoring of the treatment efficacy and the prevalence after re-infection. This study aims to determine the current prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis (caused by Schistosoma haematobium), the efficacy of praziquantel, and the re-infection rates in children from five villages with different water access. METHODS The baseline prevalence of S. haematobium was determined in August 2020 in 777 children between 5 and 11 years old and a single dose of praziquantel (40 mg/kg) was administered to those positive. The efficacy of praziquantel and the re-infection rates were monitored 4 weeks and 7 months after treatment, respectively, in 226 children with a high intensity of infection at baseline. RESULTS At the baseline, prevalence was low among children from the village of Mbane who live close to the Lac de Guiers (38%), moderate among those from the villages of Dioundou and Khodit, which neighbor the Doue river (46%), and very high at Khodit (90.6%) and Guia (91.2%) which mainly use an irrigation canal. After treatment, the observed cure rates confirmed the efficacy of praziquantel. The lowest cure rate (88.5%) was obtained in the village using the irrigation canal, while high cure rates were obtained in those using the lake (96.5%) and the river (98%). However, high egg reduction rates (between 96.7 and 99.7%) were obtained in all the villages. The re-infection was significantly higher in the village using the canal (42.5%) than in the villages accessing the Lac de Guiers (18.3%) and the Doue river (14.8%). CONCLUSION Praziquantel has an impact on reducing the prevalence and intensity of urogenital schistosomiasis. However, in the Senegal river basin, S. haematobium remains a real health problem for children living in the villages near the irrigation canals, despite regular treatment, while prevalence is declining from those frequenting the river and the Lac de Guiers. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04635553. Registered 19 November 2020 retrospectively registered, https://www. CLINICALTRIALS gov/ct2/show/NCT04635553?cntry=SN&draw=2&rank=4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Senghor
- grid.418291.70000 0004 0456 337XCampus International IRD-UCAD de Hann, Vectors-Tropical and Mediterranean Infections (VITROME) Laboratory, 1386 Dakar, Senegal
| | - Eglantine Mathieu-Begné
- grid.121334.60000 0001 2097 0141Host Pathogen Environments Interactions (IHPE) Laboratory, CNRS, IFREMER, University of Montpellier, University of Perpignan via Domitia, Perpignan, France
| | - Olivier Rey
- grid.121334.60000 0001 2097 0141Host Pathogen Environments Interactions (IHPE) Laboratory, CNRS, IFREMER, University of Montpellier, University of Perpignan via Domitia, Perpignan, France
| | - Souleymane Doucouré
- grid.418291.70000 0004 0456 337XCampus International IRD-UCAD de Hann, Vectors-Tropical and Mediterranean Infections (VITROME) Laboratory, 1386 Dakar, Senegal
| | - Doudou Sow
- grid.442784.90000 0001 2295 6052Department of Parasitology-Mycology, UFR of Health Sciences, University Gaston Berger, 234, Saint-Louis, Senegal
| | - Bocar Diop
- grid.442784.90000 0001 2295 6052Laboratory of Biological and Agronomic Sciences and Modelling of Complex Systems, UFRS2ATA, Gaston Berger University of Saint-Louis, Saint-Louis, Senegal
| | - Mariama Sène
- National Schistosomiasis Control Program (NSCP), Ministry of Health, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Jérôme Boissier
- grid.121334.60000 0001 2097 0141Host Pathogen Environments Interactions (IHPE) Laboratory, CNRS, IFREMER, University of Montpellier, University of Perpignan via Domitia, Perpignan, France
| | - Cheikh Sokhna
- grid.418291.70000 0004 0456 337XCampus International IRD-UCAD de Hann, Vectors-Tropical and Mediterranean Infections (VITROME) Laboratory, 1386 Dakar, Senegal ,grid.5399.60000 0001 2176 4817VITROME, IRD, SSA, AP-HM, IHU-Mediterranean Infection, Aix-Marseille Univ, Marseille, France
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11
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Hoekstra PT, Casacuberta-Partal M, van Lieshout L, Corstjens PLAM, Tsonaka R, Assaré RK, Silué KD, N'Goran EK, N'Gbesso YK, Brienen EAT, Roestenberg M, Knopp S, Utzinger J, Coulibaly JT, van Dam GJ. Limited efficacy of repeated praziquantel treatment in Schistosoma mansoni infections as revealed by highly accurate diagnostics, PCR and UCP-LF CAA (RePST trial). PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0011008. [PMID: 36548444 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most studies assessing praziquantel (PZQ) efficacy have used relatively insensitive diagnostic methods, thereby overestimating cure rate (CR) and intensity reduction rate (IRR). To determine accurately PZQ efficacy, we employed more sensitive DNA and circulating antigen detection methods. METHODOLOGY A sub-analysis was performed based on a previously published trial conducted in children from Côte d'Ivoire with a confirmed Schistosoma mansoni infection, who were randomly assigned to a standard (single dose of PZQ) or intense treatment group (4 repeated doses of PZQ at 2-week intervals). CR and IRR were estimated based on PCR detecting DNA in a single stool sample and the up-converting particle lateral flow (UCP-LF) test detecting circulating anodic antigen (CAA) in a single urine sample, and compared with traditional Kato-Katz (KK) and point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Individuals positive by all diagnostic methods (i.e., KK, POC-CCA, PCR, and UCP-LF CAA) at baseline were included in the statistical analysis (n = 125). PCR showed a CR of 45% (95% confidence interval (CI) 32-59%) in the standard and 78% (95% CI 66-87%) in the intense treatment group, which is lower compared to the KK results (64%, 95% CI 52-75%) and 88%, 95% CI 78-93%). UCP-LF CAA showed a significantly lower CR in both groups, 16% (95% CI 11-24%) and 18% (95% CI 12-26%), even lower than observed by POC-CCA (31%, 95% CI 17-35% and 36%, 95% CI 26-47%). A substantial reduction in DNA and CAA-levels was observed after the first treatment, with no further decrease after additional treatment and no significant difference in IRR between treatment groups. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE The efficacy of (repeated) PZQ treatment was overestimated when using egg-based diagnostics (i.e. KK and PCR). Quantitative worm-based diagnostics (i.e. POC-CCA and UCP-LF CAA) revealed that active Schistosoma infections are still present despite multiple treatments. These results stress the need for using accurate diagnostic tools to monitor different PZQ treatment strategies, in particular when moving toward elimination of schistosomiasis. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02868385.
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12
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Niu X, Hu T, Hong Y, Li X, Shen Y, Wang W. The Role of Praziquantel in the Prevention and Treatment of Fibrosis Associated with Schistosomiasis: A Review. J Trop Med 2022; 2022:1-8. [PMID: 36313856 PMCID: PMC9616668 DOI: 10.1155/2022/1413711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis remains a major global public health concern. Currently, the control of this neglected tropical disease still depends on chemotherapy to reduce the prevalence and intensity of the parasite infection. It has been widely accepted that praziquantel is highly effective against all species of Schistosoma, and this agent is virtually the only drug of choice for the treatment of human schistosomiasis. Mass drug administration (MDA) with praziquantel has been shown to be effective in greatly reducing the prevalence and morbidity due to schistosomiasis worldwide. In addition to antischistosomal activity, a large number of experiential and clinical evidence has demonstrated the action of praziquantel against fibrosis caused by S. mansoni and S. japonicum infections through decreasing the expression of fibrotic biomarkers such as α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP), and inhibiting the expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, as well as chemokines, and similar antifibrotic activity was observed in mouse models of fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and concanavalin A (Con-A). In this review, we discuss the role of praziquantel in the prevention and treatment of fibrosis associated with schistosomiasis and the possible mechanisms. We call for randomized, controlled clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of praziquantel in the treatment of schistosomiasis-induced hepatic fibrosis, and further studies to investigate the potential of praziquantel against fibrosis associated with alcohol consumption, viruses, and toxins seem justified.
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Summers S, Bhattacharyya T, Allan F, Stothard JR, Edielu A, Webster BL, Miles MA, Bustinduy AL. A review of the genetic determinants of praziquantel resistance in Schistosoma mansoni: Is praziquantel and intestinal schistosomiasis a perfect match? Front Trop Dis 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fitd.2022.933097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by parasitic trematodes belonging to the Schistosoma genus. The mainstay of schistosomiasis control is the delivery of a single dose of praziquantel (PZQ) through mass drug administration (MDA) programs. These programs have been successful in reducing the prevalence and intensity of infections. Due to the success of MDA programs, the disease has recently been targeted for elimination as a public health problem in some endemic settings. The new World Health Organization (WHO) treatment guidelines aim to provide equitable access to PZQ for individuals above two years old in targeted areas. The scale up of MDA programs may heighten the drug selection pressures on Schistosoma parasites, which could lead to the emergence of PZQ resistant schistosomes. The reliance on a single drug to treat a disease of this magnitude is worrying should drug resistance develop. Therefore, there is a need to detect and track resistant schistosomes to counteract the threat of drug resistance to the WHO 2030 NTD roadmap targets. Until recently, drug resistance studies have been hindered by the lack of molecular markers associated with PZQ resistance. This review discusses recent significant advances in understanding the molecular basis of PZQ action in S. mansoni and proposes additional genetic determinants associated with PZQ resistance. PZQ resistance will also be analyzed in the context of alternative factors that may decrease efficacy within endemic field settings, and the most recent treatment guidelines recommended by the WHO.
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Ketema W, Taye K, Tagesse N, Shibeshi MS, Alemayehu B, G/tsadik F, Girma B, Teklehaymanote A, Debiso A. Fulminant Hepatitis and Ulcerative Colitis: Case Report of Ethiopian Child with Schistosomiasis and Amebiasis Co-Infection. Int Med Case Rep J 2022; 15:409-418. [PMID: 35999858 PMCID: PMC9393029 DOI: 10.2147/imcrj.s377632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that affects around 200 million people worldwide, the majority of whom are children aged 5 to 15 years. It is one of the most significant public health problems in tropical and subtropical regions. Entamoeba histolytica infection is common in areas where schistosomiasis is endemic because Schistosoma mansoni infection can reduce the host's immune response, resulting in increased morbidity. Case Presentation This is the story of a 12-year-old male adolescent from the Guji zone of the Oromia regional state of Ethiopia who presented to Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (HUCSH) complaining of bloody diarrhea of 1 week associated with vomiting of ingested matter of 2 weeks. He also had history of fever, chills, rigors, arthralgia, and weight loss during a 2 weeks period. Further questioning revealed that he had previously swum in a pond and had a self-limited itchy skin condition. The family said that similar cases had occurred in their town that resolved with medications provided at a local health center. Conclusion Schistosomiasis and amebiasis are major public health issues, especially in impoverished areas. Schistosomiasis presents differently clinically depending on the phase and clinical form in which it manifests, making diagnosis and management challenging. As a result, it necessitates an integrated collaboration involving clinicians, pathologists, and public health professionals. We describe ulcerative colitis (UC) ascribed to schistosomiasis and amoebiasis coinfection, and fulminant hepatitis due to schistosomiasis. As there was no report of liver abscess on sonographic scanning, hepatitis may not be due to coinfection. This case will be an alert to clinicians and public health personnel who are striving for the ultimate eradication of schistosomiasis and also teaches us that treating co-infections of both is beyond just giving praziquantel and antiamebics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Worku Ketema
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, HawassaUniversity, Hawassa, Sidama, Ethiopia
| | - Kefyalew Taye
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, HawassaUniversity, Hawassa, Sidama, Ethiopia
| | - Negash Tagesse
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, HawassaUniversity, Hawassa, Sidama, Ethiopia
| | | | - Bizuneh Alemayehu
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, HawassaUniversity, Hawassa, Sidama, Ethiopia
| | - Fikre G/tsadik
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, HawassaUniversity, Hawassa, Sidama, Ethiopia
| | - Birhanu Girma
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, HawassaUniversity, Hawassa, Sidama, Ethiopia
| | | | - Alemu Debiso
- Department of Public Health, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Sidama, Ethiopia
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15
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Vianney TJ, Berger DJ, Doyle SR, Sankaranarayanan G, Serubanja J, Nakawungu PK, Besigye F, Sanya RE, Holroyd N, Allan F, Webb EL, Elliott AM, Berriman M, Cotton JA. Genome-wide analysis of Schistosoma mansoni reveals limited population structure and possible praziquantel drug selection pressure within Ugandan hot-spot communities. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010188. [PMID: 35981002 PMCID: PMC9426917 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations within schistosomiasis control areas, especially those in Africa, are recommended to receive regular mass drug administration (MDA) with praziquantel (PZQ) as the main strategy for controlling the disease. The impact of PZQ treatment on schistosome genetics remains poorly understood, and is limited by a lack of high-resolution genetic data on the population structure of parasites within these control areas. We generated whole-genome sequence data from 174 individual miracidia collected from both children and adults from fishing communities on islands in Lake Victoria in Uganda that had received either annual or quarterly MDA with PZQ over four years, including samples collected immediately before and four weeks after treatment. Genome variation within and between samples was characterised and we investigated genomic signatures of natural selection acting on these populations that could be due to PZQ treatment. The parasite population on these islands was more diverse than found in nearby villages on the lake shore. We saw little or no genetic differentiation between villages, or between the groups of villages with different treatment intensity, but slightly higher genetic diversity within the pre-treatment compared to post-treatment parasite populations. We identified classes of genes significantly enriched within regions of the genome with evidence of recent positive selection among post-treatment and intensively treated parasite populations. The differential selection observed in post-treatment and pre-treatment parasite populations could be linked to any reduced susceptibility of parasites to praziquantel treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tushabe John Vianney
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- Immunomodulation and Vaccines Programme, Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Duncan J. Berger
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen R. Doyle
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | | | - Joel Serubanja
- Immunomodulation and Vaccines Programme, Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Prossy Kabuubi Nakawungu
- Immunomodulation and Vaccines Programme, Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Fred Besigye
- Immunomodulation and Vaccines Programme, Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
| | - Richard E. Sanya
- Immunomodulation and Vaccines Programme, Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
- Health and Systems for Health Unit, African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Nancy Holroyd
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Fiona Allan
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emily L. Webb
- MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alison M. Elliott
- Immunomodulation and Vaccines Programme, Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda
- Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Berriman
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - James A. Cotton
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
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16
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Salas-Coronas J, Pérez Pérez A, Roure S, Sánchez Peinador C, Santos Larrégola L, Arranz Izquierdo J, Bocanegra C, García López Hortelano M, García Vázquez E, Moza Moriñigo H, Azkune Galparsoro H. [Consensus document for the management of schistosomiasis in Primary Care]. Aten Primaria 2022; 54:102408. [PMID: 35753207 PMCID: PMC9249679 DOI: 10.1016/j.aprim.2022.102408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
La esquistosomiasis humana es la enfermedad parasitaria con mayor morbimortalidad a nivel mundial después de la malaria. Es endémica en más de 78 países tropicales y subtropicales, sobre todo de África Subsahariana, estimándose que 236 millones de personas están infectadas. Puede causar graves complicaciones de salud a nivel genitourinario y hepatoesplénico, llegando a ocasionar la muerte de 300.000 personas cada año. El número de casos importados en los países occidentales se ha ido incrementado en los últimos años debido a la llegada de un importante número de migrantes procedentes de regiones endémicas y de un creciente número de viajeros que han visitado las mismas. Por otro lado, recientemente se han comunicado brotes de transmisión autóctona en Córcega (Francia) y Almería (España). Por todos estos aspectos, las autoridades sanitarias europeas han recomendado el cribado serológico de la enfermedad en todas las personas migrantes procedentes de zonas endémicas y que lleven menos de 5 años en Europa. Dado que atención primaria es habitualmente el primer punto de contacto de estas personas con el sistema sanitario, los médicos deben conocer los principales aspectos de la enfermedad, y ser dotados de los medios necesarios para su diagnóstico y tratamiento. Este documento ha sido elaborado por profesionales pertenecientes a 5 sociedades científicas de atención primaria (SEMFyC, SEMG, SEMERGEN), Pediatría (SEIP) y Medicina Tropical y Salud Internacional (SEMTSI), con objeto de establecer unas recomendaciones claras para el diagnóstico y el manejo de la esquistosomiasis en atención primaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquín Salas-Coronas
- Unidad de Medicina Tropical, Hospital Universitario Poniente, SEMTSI, El Ejido (Almería), España.
| | - Alejandra Pérez Pérez
- Sección de Vigilancia Epidemiológica, Subdirección de Salud Pública de Zaragoza, SEMFYC, Zaragoza, España
| | - Silvia Roure
- Unidad de Salud Internacional Metropolitana Norte de Barcelona, PROSICS Metropolitana Nord, Servicio de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, SEMTSI, Badalona, España
| | - Carmen Sánchez Peinador
- Centro de Salud de Cantalejo, Segovia, Grupo de Enfermedades Infecciosas, SEMG, Cantalejo, España
| | | | - Javier Arranz Izquierdo
- CS Escola Graduada, IBSALUT, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària de les Illes Balears. (IDISBA), SEMTSI, Palma de Mallorca, España
| | - Cristina Bocanegra
- Unidad de Medicina Tropical y Salud Internacional Vall d'Hebron-Drassanes. PROSICS Barcelona, Servicio de Enfermedades Infecciosas Hospital Universitario Vall d'Hebron, SEMTSI, Barcelona, España
| | - Milagros García López Hortelano
- Servicio de Pediatría, Enfermedades Infecciosa y Tropicales, Hospital Universitario Infantil La Paz - Hospital Carlos III, CIBERINFEC, ISCIII, SEIP, Madrid, España
| | - Elisa García Vázquez
- Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, IMIB, Departamento de Medicina. Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Murcia, SEMTSI, Murcia, España
| | - Helena Moza Moriñigo
- FEA Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Hospital Universitario Príncipe de Asturias, Madrid, SEMTSI, Alcalá de Henares, España
| | - Harkaitz Azkune Galparsoro
- Servicio Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Universitario de Donostia/Donostia unibertsitate ospitalea, EHU-UPV, Biodonostia, Gipuzkoa, SEMTSI, Donostia-San Sebastian, España
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Dejon-Agobé JC, Edoa JR, Adegnika AA, Grobusch MP. Schistosomiasis in Gabon from 2000 to 2021 - A review. Acta Trop 2022; 228:106317. [PMID: 35051384 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Schistosomiasis is a public health issue of concern in Gabon, with the disease being reported from all regions of the country. The topic has been of interest for the local researchers and physicians for over two decades. The objective of this narrative review was to provide an overview of the research activities in the area from 2000 to early 2021. METHODS We performed a narrative literature review. The search strategy was designed to get a broad overview of the different research topics on schistosomiasis and the national control programme, and included grey literature. RESULTS A total of 159 articles was screened, and 42 were included into the review in addition to the grey literature. During the past two decades, the work on schistosomiasis originated from five out of the nine provinces of the country, with diverse aspects of the disease investigated; including immunology, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment. Several studies investigated various aspects of schistosomiasis-related morbidity in the respective study populations. The body of work demonstrates that much effort was made to understand the details of the host immune response to schistosomiasis, and the immune profile changes induced in patients treated with praziquantel. Although some MDA campaigns were conducted in the country; little, however, is known on the epidemiological situation of the disease, particularly of its distribution within the population, as well as co-infections with other parasitic diseases also endemic in the area. CONCLUSION Progress has been made over the past two decades in the understanding of schistosomiasis in the country, including disease-related morbidity and its interaction with other parasitic infections, and the immunology and epidemiology of the disease. However, for optimising control of the disease, there is a need to fine-tune these findings with detailed local epidemiological and malacological data. We call for such studies to accomplish the knowledge of schistosomiasis in the country, particularly in areas of moderate or high endemicity, and recommend this approach to comparable schistosomiasis-endemic areas elsewhere.
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Gallinger TL, Aboagye SY, Obermann W, Weiss M, Grünweller A, Unverzagt C, Williams DL, Schlitzer M, Haeberlein S. First In Silico Screening of Insect Molecules for Identification of Novel Anti-Parasitic Compounds. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15. [PMID: 35215232 DOI: 10.3390/ph15020119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma. In silico screenings of compounds for the identification of novel anti-parasitic drug candidates have received considerable attention in recent years, including the screening of natural compounds. For the first time, we investigated molecules from insects, a rather neglected source in drug discovery, in an in silico screening approach to find novel antischistosomal compounds. Based on the Dictionary of Natural Products (DNP), we created a library of 1327 insect compounds suitable for molecular docking. A structure-based virtual screening against the crystal structure of a known druggable target in Schistosoma mansoni, the thioredoxin glutathione reductase (SmTGR), was performed. The top ten compounds predominantly originated from beetles and were predicted to interact particularly with amino acids in the doorstop pocket of SmTGR. For one compound from a jewel beetle, buprestin H, we tested and confirmed antischistosomal activity against adult and juvenile parasites in vitro. At concentrations with anti-parasitic activity, we could also exclude any unspecific cytotoxic activity against human HepG2 cells. This study highlights the potential of insect molecules for the identification of novel antischistosomal compounds. Our library of insect-derived molecules could serve not only as basis for future in silico screenings against additional target proteins of schistosomes, but also of other parasites.
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Walker M, Freitas LT, Halder JB, Brack M, Keiser J, King CH, Levecke B, Ai-Lian Lim Y, Pieri O, Sow D, Stothard JR, Webster JP, Zhou XN, Terry RF, Guérin PJ, Basáñez MG. Improving anthelmintic treatment for schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiases through sharing and reuse of individual participant data. Wellcome Open Res 2022; 7:5. [PMID: 35493199 PMCID: PMC9020536 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17468.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO, https://www.iddo.org) has launched a clinical data platform for the collation, curation, standardisation and reuse of individual participant data (IPD) on treatments for two of the most globally important neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), schistosomiasis (SCH) and soil-transmitted helminthiases (STHs). This initiative aims to harness the power of data-sharing by facilitating collaborative joint analyses of pooled datasets to generate robust evidence on the efficacy and safety of anthelminthic treatment regimens. A crucial component of this endeavour has been the development of a Research Agenda to promote engagement with the SCH and STH research and disease control communities by highlighting key questions that could be tackled using data shared through the IDDO platform. Here, we give a contextual overview of the priority research themes articulated in the Research Agenda-a 'living' document hosted on the IDDO website-and describe the three-stage consultation process behind its development. We also discuss the sustainability and future directions of the platform, emphasising throughout the power and promise of ethical and equitable sharing and reuse of clinical data to support the elimination of NTDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Walker
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, Hatfield, UK
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Luzia T. Freitas
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, Hatfield, UK
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Julia B. Halder
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, Hatfield, UK
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Matthew Brack
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jennifer Keiser
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Charles H. King
- Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Bruno Levecke
- Department of Translational Physiology, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Yvonne Ai-Lian Lim
- Department of Parasitology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Otavio Pieri
- Laboratory of Health and Environment Education, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Fiocruz, Rio de Janiero, Brazil
| | - Doudou Sow
- Service de Parasitologie, Université Gaston Berger de Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Senegal
| | - J. Russell Stothard
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Joanne P. Webster
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, Hatfield, UK
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Xiao-Nong Zhou
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China
| | - Robert F. Terry
- Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Maria-Gloria Basáñez
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis and London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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20
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Chulkov EG, Smith E, Rohr CM, Yahya NA, Park SK, Scampavia L, Spicer TP, Marchant JS. Identification of novel modulators of a schistosome transient receptor potential channel targeted by praziquantel. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0009898. [PMID: 34731172 PMCID: PMC8565742 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the worldwide burden of neglected tropical diseases, there is ongoing need to develop novel anthelmintic agents to strengthen the pipeline of drugs to combat these burdensome infections. Many diseases caused by parasitic flatworms are treated using the anthelmintic drug praziquantel (PZQ), employed for decades as the key clinical agent to treat schistosomiasis. PZQ activates a flatworm transient receptor potential (TRP) channel within the melastatin family (TRPMPZQ) to mediate sustained Ca2+ influx and worm paralysis. As a druggable target present in many parasitic flatworms, TRPMPZQ is a promising target for a target-based screening campaign with the goal of discovering novel regulators of this channel complex. Here, we have optimized methods to miniaturize a Ca2+-based reporter assay for Schistosoma mansoni TRPMPZQ (Sm.TRPMPZQ) activity enabling a high throughput screening (HTS) approach. This methodology will enable further HTS efforts against Sm.TRPMPZQ as well as other flatworm ion channels. A pilot screen of ~16,000 compounds yielded a novel activator of Sm.TRPMPZQ, and numerous potential blockers. The new activator of Sm.TRPMPZQ represented a distinct chemotype to PZQ, but is a known chemical entity previously identified by phenotypic screening. The fact that a compound prioritized from a phenotypic screening campaign is revealed to act, like PZQ, as an Sm.TRPMPZQ agonist underscores the validity of TRPMPZQ as a druggable target for antischistosomal ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeny G. Chulkov
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Emery Smith
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Claudia M. Rohr
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Nawal A. Yahya
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Sang-Kyu Park
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Louis Scampavia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Timothy P. Spicer
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research, Jupiter, Florida, United States of America
| | - Jonathan S. Marchant
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States of America
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21
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Treatment and control of schistosomiasis rely on a single drug, praziquantel. New orally active antischistosomals featuring novel molecular scaffolds are urgently needed to prevent the emergence of resistance. METHODS We screened 400 drug-like compounds contained in the open-access Pandemic Response Box (PRB) against newly transformed schistosomula (NTS) at a concentration of 10 µM scoring death, changes in motility, and morphological alterations. Compounds displaying an activity ≥66% at 72 h underwent testing against adult Schistosoma mansoni in vitro. Fast-acting (≥66% at 24 h), nontoxic drugs focusing on late-stage and approved drugs were investigated in the patent S. mansoni mouse model. RESULTS We identified 26 hits active against NTS, of which 17 elicited ≥66% activity against adult S. mansoni following 24 h of drug exposure. The highest activity against adult S. mansoni was observed with MMV1581558 (EC50 value of 0.18 ± 0.01 µM) and nitazoxanide (0.47 ± 0.07 µM). Of the five compounds tested in vivo, MMV1581558 and the approved drug ozanimod reduced average worm burden versus controls by 42 % and 36 %, respectively, after a single oral dose of 200 mg/kg bodyweight in mice harboring a chronic S. mansoni infection. CONCLUSION MMV1581558 discovered from screening the PRB represents a novel antischistosomal scaffold with high in vitro antischistosomal activity amenable to chemical modification for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Biendl
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Cécile Häberli
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Keiser
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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22
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Berger DJ, Crellen T, Lamberton PHL, Allan F, Tracey A, Noonan JD, Kabatereine NB, Tukahebwa EM, Adriko M, Holroyd N, Webster JP, Berriman M, Cotton JA. Whole-genome sequencing of Schistosoma mansoni reveals extensive diversity with limited selection despite mass drug administration. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4776. [PMID: 34362894 PMCID: PMC8346512 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24958-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Control and elimination of the parasitic disease schistosomiasis relies on mass administration of praziquantel. Whilst these programmes reduce infection prevalence and intensity, their impact on parasite transmission and evolution is poorly understood. Here we examine the genomic impact of repeated mass drug administration on Schistosoma mansoni populations with documented reduced praziquantel efficacy. We sequenced whole-genomes of 198 S. mansoni larvae from 34 Ugandan children from regions with contrasting praziquantel exposure. Parasites infecting children from Lake Victoria, a transmission hotspot, form a diverse panmictic population. A single round of treatment did not reduce this diversity with no apparent population contraction caused by long-term praziquantel use. We find evidence of positive selection acting on members of gene families previously implicated in praziquantel action, but detect no high frequency functionally impactful variants. As efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis intensify, our study provides a foundation for genomic surveillance of this major human parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan J Berger
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK.
- Department of Pathology and Pathogen Biology, Centre for Emerging, Endemic and Exotic Diseases, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Herts, UK.
| | - Thomas Crellen
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK
- Imperial College London, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London, UK
- Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Poppy H L Lamberton
- Imperial College London, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London, UK
- Institute for Biodiversity, Animal Health, and Comparative Medicine, and Wellcome Centre for Integrative Parasitology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Fiona Allan
- The Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences, London, UK
| | - Alan Tracey
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Jennifer D Noonan
- Institute of Parasitology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Narcis B Kabatereine
- Vector Borne & Neglected Tropical Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Edridah M Tukahebwa
- Vector Borne & Neglected Tropical Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Moses Adriko
- Vector Borne & Neglected Tropical Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Nancy Holroyd
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Joanne P Webster
- Department of Pathology and Pathogen Biology, Centre for Emerging, Endemic and Exotic Diseases, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Herts, UK.
- Imperial College London, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London, UK.
| | - Matthew Berriman
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK.
| | - James A Cotton
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK.
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