scholarly journals Amentoflavone as an Ally in the Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: Analysis of Its Antioxidant/Prooxidant Mechanisms

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmin Silva Rizk ◽  
Sandy Santos-Pereira ◽  
Luiza Gervazoni ◽  
Daiana de Jesus Hardoim ◽  
Flávia de Oliveira Cardoso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Peritoneal Macrophages ◽  
Inos Expression ◽  
Antileishmanial Activity ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Intralesional Treatment ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Treatment of leishmaniasis is a challenging subject. Although available, chemotherapy is limited, presenting toxicity and adverse effects. New drugs with antileishmanial activity are being investigated, such as antiparasitic compounds derived from plants. In this work, we investigated the antileishmanial activity of the biflavonoid amentoflavone on the protozoan Leishmania amazonensis. Although the antileishmanial activity of amentoflavone has already been reported in vitro, the mechanisms involved in the parasite death, as well as its action in vivo, remain unknown. Amentoflavone demonstrated activity on intracellular amastigotes in macrophages obtained from BALB/c mice (IC50 2.3 ± 0.93 μM). No cytotoxicity was observed and the selectivity index was estimated as greater than 10. Using BALB/c mice infected with L. amazonensis we verified the effect of an intralesional treatment with amentoflavone (0.05 mg/kg/dose, in a total of 5 doses every 4 days). Parasite quantification demonstrated that amentoflavone reduced the parasite load in treated footpads (46.3% reduction by limiting dilution assay and 56.5% reduction by Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction). Amentoflavone decreased the nitric oxide production in peritoneal macrophages obtained from treated animals. The treatment also increased the expression of ferritin and decreased iNOS expression at the site of infection. Furthemore, it increased the production of ROS in peritoneal macrophages infected in vitro. The increase of ROS in vitro, associated with the reduction of NO and iNOS expression in vivo, points to the antioxidant/prooxidant potential of amentoflavone, which may play an important role in the balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory patterns at the infection site. Taken together these results suggest that amentoflavone has the potential to be used in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis, working as an ally in the control and development of the lesion.

Therapeutic Potential of Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles in Murine Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 89-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartira Rossi-Bergmann ◽  
Wallace Pacienza-Lima ◽  
Priscyla D. Marcato ◽  
Roseli de Conti ◽  
Nelson Durán
Keyword(s):  
Silver Nanoparticles ◽  
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽  
Amphotericin B ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Positive Control ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles

Many efforts in these last years have dedicated in the development of new drugs due to an increase of microbial organisms resistant to multiple antibiotics, and silver nanoparticles appears as a novel antimicrobial agent. The aim of our work was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial activity of the silver nanoparticles prepared by chemical process and by biosynthesis from Fusarium oxysporum. In vitro antipromastigote activity of L. amazonensis showed that silver nanoparticles chemically synthesized (AgCHEM), biogenic silver nanoparticles (AgBIO) and amphotericin B decreased the parasite load up to 13%, 61%, and 68%, respectively. The IC50 of AgCHEM and AgBIO was 103.5 ± 11.5 μM and 31.6 ± 8.2 μM respectively. The assay of antileishmanial effect of these nanoparticles was evaluated in vivo (BALB/c mice) against L. amazonensis. The mice infected with promastigotes of L. amazonensis in the ear showed that after 10 days of treatment (twice a week for four weeks) the wound in the control (mice treated with PBS solution) was large, while the wound of the mice treated with amphotericin B (positive control) exhibited low size of lesion. The same parasitemia inhibition with amphotericin B was observed when AgBIO were used at 300 fold lower concentration, and 100 fold less concentration of AgCHEM than amphotericin B. Thus, these nanoparticles can be used in wound helping like cutaneous leishmaniasis.

scholarly journals Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of N-oxide derivatives with potent in vivo antileishmanial activity

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0259008
Author(s):  
Leandro da Costa Clementino ◽  
Guilherme Felipe Santos Fernandes ◽  
Igor Muccilo Prokopczyk ◽  
Wilquer Castro Laurindo ◽  
Danyelle Toyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parasite Burden ◽  
Peritoneal Macrophages ◽  
Biological Evaluation ◽  
Antileishmanial Activity ◽  
Dual Effect ◽  
Design Synthesis ◽  
Murine Peritoneal Macrophages ◽  
Synthesis And Biological Evaluation

Leishmaniasis is a neglected disease that affects 12 million people living mainly in developing countries. Herein, 24 new N-oxide-containing compounds were synthesized followed by in vitro and in vivo evaluation of their antileishmanial activity. Compound 4f, a furoxan derivative, was particularly remarkable in this regard, with EC50 value of 3.6 μM against L. infantum amastigote forms and CC50 value superior to 500 μM against murine peritoneal macrophages. In vitro studies suggested that 4f may act by a dual effect, by releasing nitric oxide after biotransformation and by inhibiting cysteine protease CPB (IC50: 4.5 μM). In vivo studies using an acute model of infection showed that compound 4f at 7.7 mg/Kg reduced ~90% of parasite burden in the liver and spleen of L. infantum-infected BALB/c mice. Altogether, these outcomes highlight furoxan 4f as a promising compound for further evaluation as an antileishmanial agent.

scholarly journals Efficacy of a Binuclear Cyclopalladated Compound Therapy for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the Murine Model of Infection with Leishmania amazonensis and Its Inhibitory Effect on Topoisomerase 1B

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Maria Arenas Velásquez ◽  
Willian Campos Ribeiro ◽  
Vutey Venn ◽  
Silvia Castelli ◽  
Mariana Santoro de Camargo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leishmania Donovani ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Peritoneal Macrophages ◽  
Leishmania Amazonensis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Intracellular Amastigotes ◽  
Therapeutic Alternatives

ABSTRACT Leishmaniasis is a disease found throughout the (sub)tropical parts of the world caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus. Despite the numerous problems associated with existing treatments, pharmaceutical companies continue to neglect the development of better ones. The high toxicity of current drugs combined with emerging resistance makes the discovery of new therapeutic alternatives urgent. We report here the evaluation of a binuclear cyclopalladated complex containing Pd(II) and N,N′-dimethylbenzylamine (Hdmba) against Leishmania amazonensis. The compound [Pd(dmba)(μ-N3)]2 (CP2) inhibits promastigote growth (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50] = 13.2 ± 0.7 μM) and decreases the proliferation of intracellular amastigotes in in vitro incubated macrophages (IC50 = 10.2 ± 2.2 μM) without a cytotoxic effect when tested against peritoneal macrophages (50% cytotoxic concentration = 506.0 ± 10.7 μM). In addition, CP2 was also active against T. cruzi intracellular amastigotes (IC50 = 2.3 ± 0.5 μM, selective index = 225), an indication of its potential for use in Chagas disease therapy. In vivo assays using L. amazonensis-infected BALB/c showed an 80% reduction in parasite load compared to infected and nontreated animals. Also, compared to amphotericin B treatment, CP2 did not show any side effects, which was corroborated by the analysis of plasma levels of different hepatic and renal biomarkers. Furthermore, CP2 was able to inhibit Leishmania donovani topoisomerase 1B (Ldtopo1B), a potentially important target in this parasite. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT02169141.)

scholarly journals Repurposing Carvedilol as a Novel Inhibitor of the Trypanosoma cruzi Autophagy Flux That Affects Parasite Replication and Survival

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Vanesa Rivero ◽  
Santiago José Martínez ◽  
Paul Novick ◽  
Juan Agustín Cueto ◽  
Betiana Nebaí Salassa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chagas Disease ◽  
Parasite Burden ◽  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Parasite Replication

T. cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas disease, is a parasite able to infect different types of host cells and to persist chronically in the tissues of human and animal hosts. These qualities and the lack of an effective treatment for the chronic stage of the disease have contributed to the durability and the spread of the disease around the world. There is an urgent necessity to find new therapies for Chagas disease. Drug repurposing is a promising and cost-saving strategy for finding new drugs for different illnesses. In this work we describe the effect of carvedilol on T. cruzi. This compound, selected by virtual screening, increased the accumulation of immature autophagosomes characterized by lower acidity and hydrolytic properties. As a consequence of this action, the survival of trypomastigotes and the replication of epimastigotes and amastigotes were impaired, resulting in a significant reduction of infection and parasite load. Furthermore, carvedilol reduced the whole-body parasite burden peak in infected mice. In summary, in this work we present a repurposed drug with a significant in vitro and in vivo activity against T. cruzi. These data in addition to other pharmacological properties make carvedilol an attractive lead for Chagas disease treatment.

scholarly journals In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of an Adamantyl-Based Phenyl Sulfonyl Acetamide against Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Models of Leishmania amazonensis

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila C. Santos ◽  
Huaisheng Zhang ◽  
Marcos M. Batista ◽  
Gabriel M. de Oliveira ◽  
Kelly C. Demarque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Leishmania Amazonensis ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
In Vivo Evaluation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Suboptimal Dose ◽  
Low Toxicity

ABSTRACT Phenotypic assay against Leishmania amazonensis in vitro and in vivo led to identification of an adamantyl-based phenyl sulfonyl acetamide (compound 1) as a promising antileishmanial agent. Compound 1 inhibited the growth of intracellular forms of L. amazonensis (50% inhibitory concentration [IC50] = 4 μM) and exhibited low toxicity to host cells, with a selectivity index (SI) of >125. However, in a cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) mouse model, compound 1 did not reduce lesions and parasite load when administered as monotherapy or when given simultaneously with a suboptimal dose of miltefosine.

scholarly journals Efficacy of Paromomycin-Chloroquine Combination Therapy in Experimental Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gert-Jan Wijnant ◽  
Katrien Van Bocxlaer ◽  
Vanessa Yardley ◽  
Sudaxshina Murdan ◽  
Simon L. Croft
Keyword(s):  
Combination Therapy ◽  
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽  
Leishmania Major ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
Preclinical Development ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACT The 4-aminoquinoline chloroquine (CQ) is clinically used in combination with doxycycline to cure chronic Q fever, as it enhances the activity of the antibiotic against the causative bacterium Coxiella burnetii residing within macrophage phagolysosomes. As there is a similar cellular host-pathogen biology for Leishmania parasites, this study aimed to determine whether such an approach could also be the basis for a new, improved treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). We have evaluated the in vitro and in vivo activities of combinations of CQ with the standard drugs paromomycin (PM), miltefosine, and amphotericin B against Leishmania major and Leishmania mexicana. In 72-h intracellular antileishmanial assays, outcomes were variable for different drugs. Significantly, the addition of 10 μM CQ to PM reduced 50% effective concentrations (EC50s) by over 5-fold against L. major and against normally insensitive L. mexicana parasites. In murine models of L. major and L. mexicana CL, daily coadministration of 50 mg/kg of body weight PM and 25 mg/kg CQ for 10 days resulted in a significant reduction in lesion size but not in parasite load compared to those for mice given the same doses of PM alone. Overall, our data indicate that PM-CQ combination therapy is unlikely to be a potential candidate for further preclinical development.

scholarly journals In VitroandIn VivoStudies of the Utility of Dimethyl and Diethyl Carbaporphyrin Ketals in Treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (10) ◽  
pp. 4755-4764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviana M. Taylor ◽  
David L. Cedeño ◽  
Diana L. Muñoz ◽  
Marjorie A. Jones ◽  
Timothy D. Lash ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visible Light ◽  
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽  
Peritoneal Macrophages ◽  
Lesion Size ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Content Model ◽  
Parasitic Load ◽  
Micromolar Range

ABSTRACTCarbaporphyrin ketals are porphyrinoid compounds in which a pyrrole ring of a typical porphyrin macrocycle has been replaced by a ketal-substituted indene ring. It was recently demonstrated that these compounds are effectivein vitroagainstLeishmania tarentolae. Theirin vitroeffectiveness is increased when they are exposed to visible light; they act as photosensitizers capable of mediating the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Following on this evidence, the effectiveness and cytotoxicity of the dimethyl and diethyl carbaporphyrin ketals (CKOMe and CKOEt, respectively) were determinedin vitrousing pathogenicLeishmaniaspecies with and without exposure to visible light (2 and 4 h). The effectiveness against various pathogenicLeishmaniaspecies was determined to be in a micromolar range. Additionally, the effect of encapsulating the carbaporphyrin ketals in liposome formulations was tested. Liposomal delivery diminished their toxicity, while the effectiveness was enhanced upon exposure to visible light (photodynamic effect). The cytotoxicity levels for human U937 cells and hamster peritoneal macrophages were in the ranges of 0.3 to 9 μM and 7 to 330 μM, respectively. When testedin vivo, using a hamster (Mesocricetus auratus) model of cutaneous leishmaniasis, CKOMe was active even in the dark, suggesting that the compound, once metabolized in the animal tissue, produces an active ingredient that does not seem to be photosensitive. Reduction in lesion size, histopathologic analyses, and smears confirmed thein vivo effectiveness of the compound, since the parasitic load was diminished without noticeable toxic effects.

scholarly journals In vitro and in vivo antileishmanial activity of β-acetyl-digitoxin, a cardenolide of Digitalis lanata potentially useful to treat visceral leishmaniasis

Parasite ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Camila S. Freitas ◽  
Daniela P. Lage ◽  
João A. Oliveira-da-Silva ◽  
Rafaella R. Costa ◽  
Débora V.C. Mendonça ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visceral Leishmaniasis ◽  
Polymeric Micelles ◽  
Direct Action ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Antileishmanial Activity ◽  
Digitalis Lanata ◽  
Ifn Γ

Current treatments of visceral leishmaniasis face limitations due to drug side effects and/or high cost, along with the emergence of parasite resistance. Novel and low-cost antileishmanial agents are therefore required. We report herein the antileishmanial activity of β-acetyl-digitoxin (b-AD), a cardenolide isolated from Digitalis lanata leaves, assayed in vitro and in vivo against Leishmania infantum. Results showed direct action of b-AD against parasites, as well as efficacy for the treatment of Leishmania-infected macrophages. In vivo experiments using b-AD-containing Pluronic® F127 polymeric micelles (b-AD/Mic) to treat L. infantum-infected mice showed that this composition reduced the parasite load in distinct organs in more significant levels. It also induced the development of anti-parasite Th1-type immunity, attested by high levels of IFN-γ, IL-12, TNF-α, GM-CSF, nitrite and specific IgG2a antibodies, in addition to low IL-4 and IL-10 contents, along with higher IFN-γ-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell frequency. Furthermore, low toxicity was found in the organs of the treated animals. Comparing the therapeutic effect between the treatments, b-AD/Mic was the most effective in protecting animals against infection, when compared to the other groups including miltefosine used as a drug control. Data found 15 days after treatment were similar to those obtained one day post-therapy. In conclusion, the results obtained suggest that b-AD/Mic is a promising antileishmanial agent and deserves further studies to investigate its potential to treat visceral leishmaniasis.

Rat alveolar macrophages express preprotachykinin gene-I mRNA-encoding tachykinins

1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (5) ◽  
pp. L1073-L1081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl R. Killingsworth ◽  
Stephanie A. Shore ◽  
Francesca Alessandrini ◽  
Richard D. Dey ◽  
Joseph D. Paulauskis
Keyword(s):  
Alveolar Macrophages ◽  
Peritoneal Macrophages ◽  
Northern Analysis ◽  
Neurokinin A ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Preprotachykinin Gene ◽  
Lps Treatment

Although the tachykinins substance P (SP) and neurokinin A have been largely localized to neurons, eosinophils have also been shown to express these peptides. Our aim was to determine whether rat alveolar macrophages (AM) express preprotachykinin gene-I (PPT-I) mRNA that encodes these tachykinins and to examine expression during inflammation. PPT-I mRNA was detected by reverse transcription (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in AM and brain (control) but not in peritoneal macrophages. Northern analysis showed that PPT-I mRNA was induced two- to fourfold by in vivo treatment of rats with intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and in vitro after 4 h of exposure to LPS. This increase was inhibited by dexamethasone. In situ RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry further confirmed that AM express PPT-I mRNA and SP-like immunoreactivity, respectively, which was enhanced by LPS treatment. A 1.3-kb transcript consistent with PPT-I mRNA was detected by Northern analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage neutrophils. Therefore, rat AM express PPT-I mRNA that is upregulated in AM by LPS and is attenuated by dexamethasone. PPT-I mRNA was also detected in lung neutrophils.

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