scholarly journals Antileishmanial Efficacy and Pharmacokinetics of DB766-Azole Combinations

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
April C. Joice ◽  
Sihyung Yang ◽  
Abdelbasset A. Farahat ◽  
Heidi Meeds ◽  
Mei Feng ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Given the limitations of current antileishmanial drugs and the utility of oral combination therapy for other infections, developing an oral combination against visceral leishmaniasis should be a high priority. In vitro combination studies with DB766 and antifungal azoles against intracellular Leishmania donovani showed that posaconazole and ketoconazole, but not fluconazole, enhanced DB766 potency. Pharmacokinetic analysis of DB766-azole combinations in uninfected Swiss Webster mice revealed that DB766 exposure was increased by higher posaconazole and ketoconazole doses, while DB766 decreased ketoconazole exposure. In L. donovani-infected BALB/c mice, DB766-posaconazole combinations given orally for 5 days were more effective than DB766 or posaconazole alone. For example, 81% ± 1% (means ± standard errors) inhibition of liver parasite burden was observed for 37.5 mg/kg of body weight DB766 plus 15 mg/kg posaconazole, while 37.5 mg/kg DB766 and 15 mg/kg posaconazole administered as monotherapy gave 40% ± 5% and 21% ± 3% inhibition, respectively. Combination index (CI) analysis indicated that synergy or moderate synergy was observed in six of nine combined dose groups, while the other three were nearly additive. Liver concentrations of DB766 and posaconazole increased in almost all combination groups compared to monotherapy groups, although many increases were not statistically significant. For DB766-ketoconazole combinations evaluated in this model, two were antagonistic, one displayed synergy, and one was nearly additive. These data indicate that the efficacy of DB766-posaconazole and DB766-ketoconazole combinations in vivo is influenced in part by the pharmacokinetics of the combination, and that the former combination deserves further consideration in developing new treatment strategies against visceral leishmaniasis.

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 4699-4706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Patterson ◽  
Susan Wyllie ◽  
Laste Stojanovski ◽  
Meghan R. Perry ◽  
Frederick R. C. Simeons ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe novel nitroimidazopyran agent (S)-PA-824 has potent antibacterial activity againstMycobacterium tuberculosisin vitroandin vivoand is currently in phase II clinical trials for tuberculosis (TB). In contrast toM. tuberculosis, where (R)-PA-824 is inactive, we report here that both enantiomers of PA-824 show potent parasiticidal activity againstLeishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). In leishmania-infected macrophages, (R)-PA-824 is 6-fold more active than (S)-PA-824. Both des-nitro analogues are inactive, underlining the importance of the nitro group in the mechanism of action. Although thein vitroandin vivopharmacological profiles of the two enantiomers are similar, (R)-PA-824 is more efficacious in the murine model of VL, with >99% suppression of parasite burden when administered orally at 100 mg kg of body weight−1, twice daily for 5 days. InM. tuberculosis, (S)-PA-824 is a prodrug that is activated by a deazaflavin-dependent nitroreductase (Ddn), an enzyme which is absent inLeishmaniaspp. Unlike the case with nifurtimox and fexinidazole, transgenic parasites overexpressing the leishmania nitroreductase are not hypersensitive to either (R)-PA-824 or (S)-PA-824, indicating that this enzyme is not the primary target of these compounds. Drug combination studiesin vitroindicate that fexinidazole and (R)-PA-824 are additive whereas (S)-PA-824 and (R)-PA-824 show mild antagonistic behavior. Thus, (R)-PA-824 is a promising candidate for late lead optimization for VL and may have potential for future use in combination therapy with fexinidazole, currently in phase II clinical trials against VL.


2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brajendra Tiwari ◽  
Richa Pahuja ◽  
Pradeep Kumar ◽  
Srikanta Kumar Rath ◽  
Kailash Chand Gupta ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Leishmaniasis chemotherapy remains very challenging due to high cost of the drug and its associated toxicity and drug resistance, which develops over a period of time. Combination therapies (CT) are now in use to treat many diseases, such as cancer and malaria, since it is more effective and affordable than monotherapy. CT are believed to represent a new explorable strategy for leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease caused by the obligate intracellular parasite Leishmania. In the present study, we investigated the effect of a combination of a traditional Indian medicine (ayurveda), a natural product curcumin and miltefosine, the only oral drug for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) using a Leishmania donovani-hamster model. We developed an oral nanoparticle-based formulation of curcumin. Nanoformulation of curcumin alone exhibited significant leishmanicidal activity both in vitro and in vivo. In combination with miltefosine, it exhibited a synergistic effect on both promastigotes and amastigotes under in vitro conditions. The combination of these two agents also demonstrated increased in vivo leishmanicidal activity accompanied by increased production of toxic reactive oxygen/nitrogen metabolites and enhanced phagocytic activity. The combination also exhibited increased lymphocyte proliferation. The present study thus establishes the possible use of nanocurcumin as an adjunct to antileishmanial chemotherapy.


2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 432-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Partha Palit ◽  
Abhijit Hazra ◽  
Arindam Maity ◽  
R. S. K. Vijayan ◽  
Prabu Manoharan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTNovel antileishmanials are urgently required to overcome emergence of drug resistance, cytotoxic effects, and difficulties in oral delivery. Toward this, we investigated a series of novel 4-aminoquinaldine derivatives, a new class of molecules, as potential antileishmanials. 4-Aminoquinaldine derivatives presented inhibitory effects onL. donovanipromastigotes and amastigotes (50% inhibitory concentration range, 0.94 to 127 μM). Of these, PP-9 and PP-10 were the most effectivein vitroand demonstrated strong efficaciesin vivothrough the intraperitoneal route. They were also found to be effective against both sodium antimony gluconate-sensitive and -resistantLeishmania donovanistrains in BALB/c mice when treated orally, resulting in more than 95% protection. Investigation of their mode of action revealed that killing by PP-10 involved moderate inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase and elicitation of the apoptotic cascade. Our studies implicate that PP-10 augments reactive oxygen species generation, evidenced from decreased glutathione levels and increased lipid peroxidation. Subsequent disruption ofLeishmaniapromastigote mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of cytosolic proteases initiated the apoptotic pathway, resulting in DNA fragmentation and parasite death. Our results demonstrate that PP-9 and PP-10 are promising lead compounds with the potential for treating visceral leishmaniasis (VL) through the oral route.


2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 1714-1722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shalini Asthana ◽  
Anil K. Jaiswal ◽  
Pramod K. Gupta ◽  
Vivek K. Pawar ◽  
Anuradha Dube ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe accessible treatment options for life-threatening neglected visceral leishmaniasis (VL) disease have problems with efficacy, stability, adverse effects, and cost, making treatment a complex issue. Here we formulated nanometric amphotericin B (AmB)-encapsulated chitosan nanocapsules (CNC-AmB) using a polymer deposition technique mediated by nanoemulsion template fabrication. CNC-AmB exhibited good steric stabilityin vitro, where the chitosan content was found to be efficient at preventing destabilization in the presence of protein and Ca2+. A toxicity study on the model cell line J774A and erythrocytes revealed that CNC-AmB was less toxic than commercialized AmB formulations such as Fungizone and AmBisome. The results ofin vitro(macrophage-amastigote system; 50% inhibitory concentration [IC50], 0.19 ± 0.04 μg AmB/ml) andin vivo(Leishmania donovani-infected hamsters; 86.1% ± 2.08% parasite inhibition) experiments in conjunction with effective internalization by macrophages illustrated the efficacy of CNC-AmB at augmenting antileishmanial properties. Quantitative mRNA analysis by real-time PCR (RT-PCR) showed that the improved effect was synergized with the upregulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-12 (IL-12), and inducible nitric oxide synthase and with the downregulation of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), IL-10, and IL-4. These research findings suggest that a cost-effective CNC-AmB immunoadjuvant chemotherapeutic delivery system could be a viable alternative to the current high-cost commercial lipid-based formulations.


2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 4608-4614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abeer H. A. Mohamed-Ahmed ◽  
Karin Seifert ◽  
Vanessa Yardley ◽  
Hollie Burrell-Saward ◽  
Stephen Brocchini ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTA noncovalent, water-soluble complex of amphotericin B (AMB) and poly(α-glutamic acid) (PGA), with AMB loadings ranging from 25 to 55% (wt/wt) using PGA with a molecular weight range of 50,000 to 70,000, was prepared as a potential new treatment for visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The AMB-PGA complex was shown to be as active as Fungizone (AMB deoxycholate) against intracellularLeishmania donovaniamastigotes in differentiated THP-1 cells. Thein vitrouptake of the AMB-PGA complex by differentiated THP-1 cells was similar to that of Fungizone and higher than that of AmBisome (liposomal AMB). The AMB-PGA complex also displayed a dose-response profile similar to that of AmBisomein vivoin BALB/c mice againstL. donovani, with 50% effective doses (ED50s) of 0.24 ± 0.03 mg/kg of body weight for the AMB-PGA complex and 0.24 ± 0.06 mg/kg for AmBisome. A biodistribution study with mice indicated that the AMB-PGA complex cleared more rapidly from plasma than AmBisome, with a comparable low level of distribution to the kidneys.


2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1739-1742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuhina Dey ◽  
Khairul Anam ◽  
Farhat Afrin ◽  
Nahid Ali

ABSTRACT Here we report the activity of liposomes comprising egg phosphatidylcholine (PC) and stearylamine (SA) against Leishmania donovani parasites. Both promastigotes and intracellular amastigotes in vitro and in vivo were susceptible to SA-PC liposomes. A single dose of 55 mg of SA-PC liposomes/animal could significantly reduce the hepatic parasite burden by 85 and 68% against recent and established experimental visceral leishmaniasis, respectively, suggesting their strong therapeutic potential.


Author(s):  
Pallab Ghosh ◽  
Subhasish Mondal ◽  
Tanmoy Bera

<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To overcome low physiological solubility, poor bioavailability, the short plasma half-life of andrographolide (AG), a delivery system based on poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) were developed to increase the efficiency of AG against visceral leishmaniasis (VL).<strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Andrographolide-PLGA nanoparticles (AGnp) were prepared with Pgp efflux inhibitor vitamin E TPGS (D-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate) by emulsion solvent evaporation method and characterized. Antileishmanial activity was evaluated using<em> in vitro</em> and<em> in vivo</em> VL infection model. <strong></strong></p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The particle size of AGnp was found to be171.4±11.5 nm with an encapsulation efficiency of 81%. The AGnp reduced AG cellular toxicity, retained it's<em> in vitro</em> antileishmanial activity and lead to a reduction (99.9%) of parasite burden in the <em>Leishmania donovani</em> infected spleen and liver. AGnp was more active in infected mice liver at low dose than in spleen. Therapeutic indexes (TI) were 6.9-fold greater in AG and 68-fold in AGnp compared to amphotericin B (AmB) when evaluated in <em>L. donovani</em> infected spleen.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Incorporation of AG in PLGA nanoparticles, provided controlled and improved <em>in vivo</em> performance against VL</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1824
Author(s):  
Matthias Mietsch ◽  
Rabea Hinkel

With cardiovascular diseases affecting millions of patients, new treatment strategies are urgently needed. The use of stem cell based approaches has been investigated during the last decades and promising effects have been achieved. However, the beneficial effect of stem cells has been found to being partly due to paracrine functions by alterations of their microenvironment and so an interesting field of research, the “stem- less” approaches has emerged over the last years using or altering the microenvironment, for example, via deletion of senescent cells, application of micro RNAs or by modifying the cellular energy metabolism via targeting mitochondria. Using autologous muscle-derived mitochondria for transplantations into the affected tissues has resulted in promising reports of improvements of cardiac functions in vitro and in vivo. However, since the targeted treatment group represents mainly elderly or otherwise sick patients, it is unclear whether and to what extent autologous mitochondria would exert their beneficial effects in these cases. Stem cells might represent better sources for mitochondria and could enhance the effect of mitochondrial transplantations. Therefore in this review we aim to provide an overview on aging effects of stem cells and mitochondria which might be important for mitochondrial transplantation and to give an overview on the current state in this field together with considerations worthwhile for further investigations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shailendra Yadav ◽  
Jitendra Kuldeep ◽  
Mohammad I. Siddiqi ◽  
Neena Goyal

ABSTRACT T-complex protein-1 (TCP1) is a ubiquitous group II chaperonin and is known to fold various proteins, such as actin and tubulin. In Leishmania donovani, the γ subunit of TCP1 (LdTCP1γ) has been cloned and characterized. It forms a high-molecular-weight homo-oligomeric complex that performs ATP-dependent protein folding. In the present study, we evaluated the essentiality of the LdTCP1γ gene. Gene replacement studies indicated that LdTCP1γ is essential for parasite survival. The LdTCP1γ single-allele-replacement mutants exhibited slowed growth and decreased infectivity in mouse macrophages compared to the growth and infectivity of the wild-type parasites. Modulation of LdTCP1γ expression in promastigotes also modulated cell cycle progression. Suramin, an antitrypanosomal drug, not only inhibited the luciferase refolding activity of the recombinant LdTCP1γ (rLdTCP1γ) homo-oligomeric complex but also exhibited potential antileishmanial efficacy both in vitro and in vivo. The interaction of suramin and LdTCP1γ was further validated by isothermal titration calorimetry. The study suggests LdTCP1γ as a potential drug target and also provides a framework for the development of a new class of drugs.


Processes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poonam Phalak ◽  
Michael Henson

Recent in vitro experiments have demonstrated the ability of the pathogen Clostridium difficile and commensal gut bacteria to form biofilms on surfaces, and biofilm development in vivo is likely. Various studies have reported that 3%–15% of healthy adults are asymptomatically colonized with C. difficile, with commensal species providing resistance against C. difficile pathogenic colonization. C. difficile infection (CDI) is observed at a higher rate in immunocompromised patients previously treated with broad spectrum antibiotics that disrupt the commensal microbiota and reduce competition for available nutrients, resulting in imbalance among commensal species and dysbiosis conducive to C. difficile propagation. To investigate the metabolic interactions of C. difficile with commensal species from the three dominant phyla in the human gut, we developed a multispecies biofilm model by combining genome-scale metabolic reconstructions of C. difficile, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron from the phylum Bacteroidetes, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii from the phylum Firmicutes, and Escherichia coli from the phylum Proteobacteria. The biofilm model was used to identify gut nutrient conditions that resulted in C. difficile-associated dysbiosis characterized by large increases in C. difficile and E. coli abundances and large decreases in F. prausnitzii abundance. We tuned the model to produce species abundances and short-chain fatty acid levels consistent with available data for healthy individuals. The model predicted that experimentally-observed host-microbiota perturbations resulting in decreased carbohydrate/increased amino acid levels and/or increased primary bile acid levels would induce large increases in C. difficile abundance and decreases in F. prausnitzii abundance. By adding the experimentally-observed perturbation of increased host nitrate secretion, the model also was able to predict increased E. coli abundance associated with C. difficile dysbiosis. In addition to rationalizing known connections between nutrient levels and disease progression, the model generated hypotheses for future testing and has the capability to support the development of new treatment strategies for C. difficile gut infections.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document