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Rial MS, Arrúa EC, Natale MA, Bua J, Esteva MI, Prado NG, Laucella SA, Salomon CJ, Fichera LE. Efficacy of continuous versus intermittent administration of nanoformulated benznidazole during the chronic phase of Trypanosoma cruzi Nicaragua infection in mice. J Antimicrob Chemother 2020; 75:1906-1916. [DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkaa101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Benznidazole and nifurtimox are effective drugs used to treat Chagas’ disease; however, their administration in patients in the chronic phase of the disease is still limited, mainly due to their limited efficacy in the later chronic stage of the disease and to the adverse effects related to these drugs.
Objectives
To evaluate the effect of low doses of nanoformulated benznidazole using a chronic model of Trypanosoma cruzi Nicaragua infection in C57BL/6J mice.
Methods
Nanoformulations were administered in two different schemes: one daily dose for 30 days or one dose every 7 days, 13 times.
Results
Both treatment schemes showed promising outcomes, such as the elimination of parasitaemia, a reduction in the levels of T. cruzi-specific antibodies and a reduction in T. cruzi-specific IFN-γ-producing cells, as well as an improvement in electrocardiographic alterations and a reduction in inflammation and fibrosis in the heart compared with untreated T. cruzi-infected animals. These results were also compared with those from our previous work on benznidazole administration, which was shown to be effective in the same chronic model.
Conclusions
In this experimental model, intermittently administered benznidazole nanoformulations were as effective as those administered continuously; however, the total dose administered in the intermittent scheme was lower, indicating a promising therapeutic approach to Chagas’ disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- M S Rial
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología “Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”, ANLIS “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán”, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - E C Arrúa
- Area Técnica Farmacéutica, Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - M A Natale
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología “Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”, ANLIS “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán”, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - J Bua
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología “Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”, ANLIS “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán”, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - M I Esteva
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología “Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”, ANLIS “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán”, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - N G Prado
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología “Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”, ANLIS “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán”, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - S A Laucella
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología “Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”, ANLIS “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán”, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - C J Salomon
- Area Técnica Farmacéutica, Departamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - L E Fichera
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología “Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”, ANLIS “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán”, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Landoni M, Piñero T, Soprano LL, Garcia-Bournissen F, Fichera L, Esteva MI, Duschak VG, Couto AS. Tamoxifen acts on Trypanosoma cruzi sphingolipid pathway triggering an apoptotic death process. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 516:934-940. [PMID: 31277939 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.06.149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [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: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
This study shows the effects of tamoxifen, a known estrogen receptor antagonist used in the treatment of breast cancer, on the sphingolipid pathway of Trypanosoma cruzi, searching for potential chemotherapeutic targets. A dose-dependent epimastigote growth inhibition at increasing concentration of tamoxifen was determined. In blood trypomastigotes, treatment with 10 μM showed 90% lysis, while 86% inhibition of intracellular amastigote development was obtained using 50 μM. Lipid extracts from treated and non-treated metabolically labelled epimastigotes evidenced by thin layer chromatography different levels of sphingolipids and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis assured the identity of the labelled species. Comparison by HPLC-ESI mass spectrometry of lipids, notably exhibited a dramatic increase in the level of ceramide in tamoxifen-treated parasites and a restrained increase of ceramide-1P and sphingosine, indicating that the drug is acting on the enzymes involved in the final breakdown of ceramide. The ultrastructural analysis of treated parasites revealed characteristic morphology of cells undergoing an apoptotic-like death process. Flow cytometry confirmed cell death by an apoptotic-like machinery indicating that tamoxifen triggers this process by acting on the parasitic sphingolipid pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malena Landoni
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, FCEN, Departamento de Química Orgánica - CONICET, CIHIDECAR, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, C1428GA, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Tamara Piñero
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, FCEN, Departamento de Química Orgánica - CONICET, CIHIDECAR, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, C1428GA, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Luciana L Soprano
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr Mario Fatala Chaben", ANLIS-Malbrán, Secretaría de Salud de la Nación, Departamento de Investigación, Av. Paseo Colon 568, Buenos Aires, 1063, Argentina
| | - Facundo Garcia-Bournissen
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Pedíatricas (IMIPP), CONICET, Hospital de Niños "Ricardo Gutiérrez", Gallo 1330, Buenos Aires, 1425, Argentina
| | - Laura Fichera
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr Mario Fatala Chaben", ANLIS-Malbrán, Secretaría de Salud de la Nación, Departamento de Investigación, Av. Paseo Colon 568, Buenos Aires, 1063, Argentina
| | - Monica I Esteva
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr Mario Fatala Chaben", ANLIS-Malbrán, Secretaría de Salud de la Nación, Departamento de Investigación, Av. Paseo Colon 568, Buenos Aires, 1063, Argentina
| | - Vilma G Duschak
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr Mario Fatala Chaben", ANLIS-Malbrán, Secretaría de Salud de la Nación, Departamento de Investigación, Av. Paseo Colon 568, Buenos Aires, 1063, Argentina
| | - Alicia S Couto
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, FCEN, Departamento de Química Orgánica - CONICET, CIHIDECAR, Intendente Güiraldes 2160, C1428GA, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Acosta DM, Soprano LL, Ferrero MR, Esteva MI, Riarte A, Couto AS, Duschak VG. Structural and immunological characterization of sulphatides: relevance of sulphate moieties in Trypanosoma cruzi glycoconjugates. Parasite Immunol 2013; 34:499-510. [PMID: 22738032 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3024.2012.01378.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Sulphoglycosphingolipids, present on the surface of diverse cells, participate in the regulation of various cellular events. However, little is known about the structure and the role of sulphoglycosphingolipids in trypanosomatids. Herein, sulphated dihexosylceramide structures - composed mainly of sphingosine as the long chain base acylated with stearic acid - have been determined for the first time in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes by UV-MALDI-TOF-MS analysis. Interestingly, inhibition ELISA assays using cruzipain as antigen and polyclonal rabbit antibodies specific for cruzipain, the major cysteine proteinase of T. cruzi, or for its C-terminal domain, have demonstrated (i) that sulphate epitopes are shared between cruzipain and sulphatides of T. cruzi, (ii) that cross-reactivity maps to the C-terminal domain and (iii) the existence of other antigenic determinants in the glycolipidic structures. These features provide evidence that sulphate groups are antigenic in sulphate-containing parasite glycoconjugates. Furthermore, IgG2 antibody levels inversely correlate with disease severity in chronic Chagas disease patients, suggesting that IgG2 antibodies specific for sulphated epitopes might be associated with protective immunity and might be considered as potential surrogates of the course of chronic Chagas disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Acosta
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología Dr Mario Fatala Chaben, ANLIS-Malbrán, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Acosta DM, Soprano LL, Ferrero M, Landoni M, Esteva MI, Couto AS, Duschak VG. A striking common O-linked N-acetylglucosaminyl moiety between cruzipain and myosin. Parasite Immunol 2011; 33:363-70. [PMID: 21426361 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3024.2011.01291.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Single units of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), usually components of nuclear and cytoplasmatic proteins, are present at the C-terminal domain of cruzipain (Cz), a lysosomal major antigen from Trypanosoma cruzi. On the other hand, antibodies directed against some self-antigens like myosin are associated with Chagas heart disease. The participation of O-GlcNAc moieties in the molecular antigenicity of Cz was determined using GlcNAc linked to aprotinin by ELISA. The immune cross-reactivity between Cz and myosin is mainly focused in the C-T domain. ELISA inhibition assays using rabbit sera specific for Cz and C-T in conjunction with immune-gold electron microscopy analysis of heart tissues from mice immunized with C-T confronted with polyclonal rabbit sera specific for Cz and C-T prior and after myosin adsorption provided evidence which indicates that O-GlcNAc moieties constitute a common epitope between Cz and either myosin or other cardiac O-GlcNAc-containing proteins, showing a new insight into the molecular immune pathogenesis of Chagas heart disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M Acosta
- Instituto Nacional de Parasitología Dr Mario Fatala Chaben, ANLIS-Malbrán, Ministerio de Salud de la Nación, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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García GA, Arnaiz MR, Laucella SA, Esteva MI, Ainciart N, Riarte A, Garavaglia PA, Fichera LE, Ruiz AM. Immunological and pathological responses in BALB/c mice induced by genetic administration of Tc 13 Tul antigen of Trypanosoma cruzi. Parasitology 2006; 132:855-66. [PMID: 16478565 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182005009753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2005] [Revised: 10/26/2005] [Accepted: 10/28/2005] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Tc13 is a trans-sialidase family protein of Trypanosoma cruzi, the aetiological agent of Chagas' disease. Recently, in vitro studies had suggested that Tc13 might participate in the pathogenesis of the disease. In order to study the role of Tc13 antigens in an in vivo model, we administered plasmid DNA encoding a Tc13 antigen from the Tulahuén strain (Tc13 Tul) to BALB/c mice and evaluated the immunological and pathological manifestations as well as the capacity of this antigen to confer protection against T. cruzi infection. Tc13 Tul immunization did not elicit a detectable humoral immune response but induced specific memory T-cells with no capacity to produce IFN-gamma. Five months after DNA-immunization with Tc13 Tul, signs of hepatotoxicity and reactive changes in the heart, liver and spleen were observed in 40-80% of mice. When Tc13 Tul DNA-immunized animals were challenged with trypomastigotes, a significant decrease in parasitaemia in early and late acute phase was observed without modification in the survival rate. Surprisingly, Tc13 Tul-immunized mice chronically infected with T. cruzi showed a decrease in the severity of heart damage. We conclude that, in BALB/c mice, genetic immunization with Tc13 Tul mainly induces immune responses associated with pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- G A García
- Insituto Nacional de Parasitología Dr. Mario Fatala Chabén, Paseo Colón 568, 1063, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Franke De Cazzulo BM, Bernacchi A, Esteva MI, Ruiz AM, Castro JA, Cazzulo JJ. Trypanocidal effect of SKF525A, proadifen, on different developmental forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. Medicina (B Aires) 1998; 58:415-8. [PMID: 9816705] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
SKF525A, an inhibitor and inducer of cytochrome P450, was tested on different developmental stages of Trypanosoma cruzi. Growth, motility and structure of epimastigotes, motility and infectivity of trypomastigotes, and infectivity of trypomastigotes to Vero cells in culture were abolished by the drug at 10-100 microM concentrations. When blood from infected mice was treated with the drug, and used to infect 8 day-old mice, no parasites were observed at 0.6-1 mM, and all animals survived. Blood cell morphology was well preserved, and the sleeping time of pentobarbital-treated mice inoculated with the same amount of drug was not increased. The present results suggest that SKF525A or other related inhibitors of cytochrome P450 coned be tested as an additive for blood sterilization in blood banks.
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Affiliation(s)
- B M Franke De Cazzulo
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de General San Martín, Argentina.
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