Clara Lúcia Barbiéri

Leishmanicidal activity of benzophenones and extracts from Garcinia brasiliensis Mart. fruits

Infections by protozoans of the genus Leishmania are the major worldwide health problem, with high endemicity in developing countries. The drugs of choice for the treatment of leishmaniasis are the pentavalent antimonials, which exert renal and cardiac toxicity. Thus, there is a strong need for safer and more effective treatments against leishmaniasis. The present study was designated to evaluate, by a bioguided assay, the leishmanicidal activity of extracts (hexane, ethyl-acetate and ethanolic) and molecules both obtained by means of extraction from pericarps of Garcinia brasiliensis fruits. The hexane extract presented the best activity on the extracellular (promastigotes) and intracellular (amastigotes) forms of Leishmania (L.) amazonensis, when compared to the other extracts. Based on these findings, this extract was fractionated by silica gel column chromatography, affording nine fractions then resulting in three purified prenylated benzophenones - 7-epi-clusianone (1), garciniaphenone (2) and guttiferone-a (3). They showed significant activity on Leishmania (L.) amazonensis, and little toxicity for mammalian cells. Structure-activity relationships were evaluated showing that the IC(50) value displayed is dependent of prenyl groups and phenolic hydroxyls number, and inversely proportional to the hydrophobicity. Our results are promising, showing that these compounds are biologically active on Leishmania (L.) amazonensis.

Tamoxifen as a potential antileishmanial agent: efficacy in the treatment of Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania chagasi infections

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of tamoxifen in vivo in experimental models of cutaneous (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania chagasi, respectively. METHODS Drug activity was assessed against intracellular amastigotes by treating infected macrophage cultures and evaluating the number of infected cells. In vivo efficacy of tamoxifen was tested in L. braziliensis-infected BALB/c mice and in L. chagasi-infected hamsters. Treatment with 20 mg/kg/day tamoxifen was administered for 15 days by the intraperitoneal route. Efficacy was evaluated through measurements of lesion size, parasite burden at the lesion site or liver and spleen and survival rate. RESULTS Tamoxifen killed L. braziliensis and L. chagasi intracellular amastigotes with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)) of 1.9 +/- 0.2 and 2.4 +/- 0.3 microM, respectively. Treatment of L. braziliensis-infected mice with tamoxifen resulted in significant reductions in lesion size and 99% decrease in parasite burden, compared with mock-treated controls. L. chagasi-infected hamsters treated with tamoxifen showed significant reductions in liver parasite load expressed as Leishman-Donovan units and 95% to 98% reduction in spleen parasite burden. All animals treated with tamoxifen survived while 100% of the mock-treated animals had died by 11 weeks after the interruption of treatment. CONCLUSIONS Tamoxifen is effective in the treatment of CL and VL in rodent models.

The Genome Sequence of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis: Functional Annotation and Extended Analysis of Gene Models

We present the sequencing and annotation of the Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis genome, an etiological agent of human cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Amazon region of Brazil. L. (L.) amazonensis shares features with Leishmania (L.) mexicana but also exhibits unique characteristics regarding geographical distribution and clinical manifestations of cutaneous lesions (e.g. borderline disseminated cutaneous leishmaniasis). Predicted genes were scored for orthologous gene families and conserved domains in comparison with other human pathogenic Leishmania spp. Carboxypeptidase, aminotransferase, and 3′-nucleotidase genes and ATPase, thioredoxin, and chaperone-related domains were represented more abundantly in L. (L.) amazonensis and L. (L.) mexicana species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these two species share groups of amastin surface proteins unique to the genus that could be related to specific features of disease outcomes and host cell interactions. Additionally, we describe a hypothetical hybrid interactome of potentially secreted L. (L.) amazonensis proteins and host proteins under the assumption that parasite factors mimic their mammalian counterparts. The model predicts an interaction between an L. (L.) amazonensis heat-shock protein and mammalian Toll-like receptor 9, which is implicated in important immune responses such as cytokine and nitric oxide production. The analysis presented here represents valuable information for future studies of leishmaniasis pathogenicity and treatment.

Neutrophils reduce the parasite burden in Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis-infected macrophages.

Background Studies on the role of neutrophils in Leishmania infection were mainly performed with L. (L) major, whereas less information is available for L. (L) amazonensis. Previous results from our laboratory showed a large infiltrate of neutrophils in the site of infection in a mouse strain resistant to L. (L.) amazonensis (C3H/HePas). In contrast, the susceptible strain (BALB/c) displayed a predominance of macrophages harboring a high number of amastigotes and very few neutrophils. These findings led us to investigate the interaction of inflammatory neutrophils with L. (L.) amazonensis-infected macrophages in vitro. Methodology/Principal Findings Mouse peritoneal macrophages infected with L. (L.) amazonensis were co-cultured with inflammatory neutrophils, and after four days, the infection was quantified microscopically. Data are representative of three experiments with similar results. The main findings were 1) intracellular parasites were efficiently destroyed in the co-cultures; 2) the leishmanicidal effect was similar when cells were obtained from mouse strains resistant (C3H/HePas) or susceptible (BALB/c) to L. (L.) amazonensis; 3) parasite destruction did not require contact between infected macrophages and neutrophils; 4) tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), neutrophil elastase and platelet activating factor (PAF) were involved with the leishmanicidal activity, and 5) destruction of the parasites did not depend on generation of oxygen or nitrogen radicals, indicating that parasite clearance did not involve the classical pathway of macrophage activation by TNF-α, as reported for other Leishmania species. Conclusions/Significance The present results provide evidence that neutrophils in concert with macrophages play a previously unrecognized leishmanicidal effect on L. (L.) amazonensis. We believe these findings may help to understand the mechanisms involved in innate immunity in cutaneous infection by this Leishmania species.

Lysosomal depletion in macrophages from spleen and foot lesions of Leishmania-infected hamster

Analysis of lysosomes through acid phosphatase cytochemistry at the electron microscopy level has been performed in spleen and foot lesions from Leishmania-infected hamsters. The results showed that there is lysosomal depletion in macrophages from Leishmania donovani chagasi-infected hamster spleen and similar findings were obtained from foot lesions of Leishmania mexicana amazonensis-infected hamsters. The distribution of acid phosphatase and thiamine pyrophosphatase was also examined in the Golgi apparatus. It was possible to demonstrate that the activity of ACP is absent in infected macrophages from spleen and foot lesions of Leishmania-infected hamster while the distribution of TPP was very similar in control and infected macrophages from both systems. These results provide evidence that the lysosomal depletion can occur at the ACP synthesis and/or glycosylation level.

Ultrastructural and cytochemical identification of megasome in Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi

The present work showed the presence of a megasome in Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi amastigotes. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of ultrathin serial sections and three-dimensional reconstruction allowed visualization of large structures in amastigote forms of L. (L.) chagasi and a multivesicular tubule–lysosome structure in metacyclic promastigotes. Morphometric data showed that the relative volume occupied by the megasome and the multivesicular tubule (MVT)–lysosome structures was about 5% and 3.2%, respectively, in amastigotes and promastigotes of L. (L.) chagasi. Further characterization of the megasome in L. (L.) chagasi amastigotes was carried out by immunolabeling of cysteine proteinase, whereas the lysosomal content of amastigotes and promastigotes was confirmed by arylsulfatase cytochemistry.

In Vitro and In Vivo Activity of an Organic Tellurium Compound on Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi

Tellurium compounds have shown several biological properties and recently the leishmanicidal effect of one organotellurane was demonstrated. These findings led us to test the effect of the organotellurium compound RF07 on Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi, the agent of visceral leishmaniasis in Latin America. In vitro assays were performed in L. (L.) chagasi-infected bone marrow derived macrophages treated with different concentrations of RF07. In in vivo experiments Golden hamsters were infected with L. (L.) chagasi and injected intraperitoneally with RF07 whereas control animals received either Glucantime or PBS. The effect of RF07 on cathepsin B activity of L. (L.) chagasi amastigotes was assayed spectrofluorometrically using fluorogenic substrates. The main findings were: 1) RF07 showed significant leishmanicidal activity against intracellular parasites at submicromolar concentrations (IC50 of 529.7±26.5 nM), and the drug displayed 10-fold less toxicity to macrophages (CC50 of 5,426±272.8 nM); 2) kinetics assays showed an increasing leishmanicidal action of RF07 at longer periods of treatment; 3) one month after intraperitoneal injection of RF07 L. (L.) chagasi-infected hamsters showed a reduction of 99.6% of parasite burden when compared to controls that received PBS; 4) RF07 inhibited the cathepsin B activity of L. (L.) chagasi amastigotes. The present results demonstrated that the tellurium compound RF07 is able to destroy L. (L.) chagasi in vitro and in vivo at concentrations that are non toxic to the host. We believe these findings support further study of the potential of RF07 as a possible alternative for the chemotherapy of visceral leishmaniasis.

In vitro and in vivo activity of a palladacycle complex on Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis.

Background Antitumor cyclopalladated complexes with low toxicity to laboratory animals have shown leishmanicidal effect. These findings stimulated us to test the leishmanicidal property of one palladacycle compound called DPPE 1.2 on Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis, an agent of simple and diffuse forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Amazon region, Brazil. Methodology/Principal Findings Promastigotes of L. (L.) amazonensis and infected bone marrow-derived macrophages were treated with different concentrations of DPPE 1.2. In in vivo assays foot lesions of L. (L.) amazonensis-infected BALB/c mice were injected subcutaneously with DPPE 1.2 and control animals received either Glucantime or PBS. The effect of DPPE 1.2 on cathepsin B activity of L. (L.) amazonensis amastigotes was assayed spectrofluorometrically by use of fluorogenic substrates. The main findings were: 1) axenic L. (L.) amazonensis promastigotes were destroyed by nanomolar concentrations of DPPE 1.2 (IC50 = 2.13 nM); 2) intracellular parasites were killed by DPPE 1.2 (IC50 = 128.35 nM), and the drug displayed 10-fold less toxicity to macrophages (CC50 = 1,267 nM); 3) one month after intralesional injection of DPPE 1.2 infected BALB/c mice showed a significant decrease of foot lesion size and a reduction of 97% of parasite burdens when compared to controls that received PBS; 4) DPPE 1.2 inhibited the cysteine protease activity of L. (L.) amazonensis amastigotes and more significantly the cathepsin B activity. Conclusions/Significance The present results demonstrated that DPPE 1.2 can destroy L. (L.) amazonensis in vitro and in vivo at concentrations that are non toxic to the host. We believe these findings support the potential use of DPPE 1.2 as an alternative choice for the chemotherapy of leishmaniasis.

A recombinant cysteine proteinase from Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi as an antigen for delayed-type hypersensitivity assays and serodiagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis

A recombinant protein, rLdccys1, produced by expression of the gene encoding a 30kDa cysteine proteinase from Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi, was used to detect specific antibodies in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and to test for reactivity in delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses of dogs from an endemic region of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), Teresina, Piauí State, Brazil. Amastigote or promastigote extracts were also assayed for comparison. The sensitivity for detection of specific antibodies to L. (L.) chagasi using rLdccys1, lysates from L. (L.) chagasi promastigotes and amastigotes was 96%, 68%, and 69%, respectively. No cross-reactivity between rLdccys1 and Chagas disease was observed, and little reactivity was found with sera from dogs with babesiosis and ehrlichiosis. Among 106 sera from symptomatic dogs and 22 from non-infected controls, no false negatives and only two false positive sera were found for rLdccys1. In contrast, amastigote lysates yielded 11 false positives and 13 false negatives, whereas the corresponding numbers for promastigote lysates were 17 and 16. DTH responses were determined after intradermal injection of rLdccys1 or amastigote extract and the induration area was measured at 24, 48 and 72h after injection. All asymptomatic dogs showed a positive intradermal response to rLdccys1 (>10mm) which peaked at 48h, whereas no significant reactivity to the recombinant antigen was found in the symptomatic group. Histological analysis of the intradermal induration showed a predominance of necrotic and hemorrhagic areas in sections from asymptomatic dogs injected with L. (L.) chagasi amastigote extract, whereas a typical granulomatous reaction mediated by mononuclear cells was observed in sections from asymptomatic animals injected with rLdccys1. Grouping data from ELISA and DTH assays with rLdccys1 and L. (L.) chagasi amastigote extracts showed that humoral and cellular responses were inversely correlated during the development of canine VL. Overall, these findings indicate that L. (L.) chagasi recombinant cysteine proteinase is potentially useful for diagnosis of canine VL, as well as for the discrimination of clinical and subclinical forms of the disease.

Recombinant Cysteine Proteinase from Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi Implicated in Human and Dog T-Cell Responses

ABSTRACT High in vitro lymphoproliferative responses were induced in humans and dogs by a recombinant Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi cysteine proteinase, with secretion of IFN-γ in asymptomatic subjects or of IFN-γ, interleukin 4 (IL-4), and IL-10 in oligosymptomatic subjects. In contrast, responses of symptomatic patients and dogs were lower, with production of IL-4 and IL-10.