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Bioactivity of Farnesyltransferase Inhibitors Against Entamoeba histolytica and Schistosoma mansoni.

ABSTRACT: The protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica can induce amebic colitis and amebic liver abscess. First-line drugs for the treatment of amebiasis are nitroimidazoles, particularly metronidazole. Metronidazole has side effects and potential drug resistance is a concern. Schistosomiasis, a chronic and painful infection, is caused by various species of the Schistosoma flatworm. There is only one partially effective drug, praziquantel, a worrisome situation should drug resistance emerge. As many essential metabolic pathways and enzymes are shared between eukaryotic organisms, it is possible to conceive of small molecule interventions that target more than one organism or target, particularly when chemical matter is already available. Farnesyltransferase (FT), the last common enzyme for products derived from the mevalonate pathway, is vital for diverse functions, including cell differentiation and growth. Both E. histolytica and Schistosoma mansoni genomes encode FT genes. In this study, we phenotypically screened E. histolytica and S. mansoni in vitro with the established FT inhibitors, lonafarnib and tipifarnib, and with 125 tipifarnib analogs previously screened against both the whole organism and/or the FT of Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi. For E. histolytica, we also explored whether synergy arises by combining lonafarnib and metronidazole or lonafarnib with statins that modulate protein prenylation. We demonstrate the anti-amebic and anti-schistosomal activities of lonafarnib and tipifarnib, and identify 17 tipifarnib analogs with more than 75% growth inhibition at 50 ?M against E. histolytica. Apart from five analogs of tipifarnib exhibiting activity against both E. histolytica and S. mansoni, 10 additional analogs demonstrated anti-schistosomal activity (severe degenerative changes at 10 ?M after 24 h). Analysis of the structure-activity relationship available for the T. brucei FT suggests that FT may not be the relevant target in E. histolytica and S. mansoni. For E. histolytica, combination of metronidazole and lonafarnib resulted in synergism for growth inhibition. Also, of a number of statins tested, simvastatin exhibited moderate anti-amebic activity which, when combined with lonafarnib, resulted in slight synergism. Even in the absence of a definitive molecular target, identification of potent anti-parasitic tipifarnib analogs encourages further exploration while the synergistic combination of metronidazole and lonafarnib offers a promising treatment strategy for amebiasis.

SUBMITTER: Probst A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6548881 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Bioactivity of Farnesyltransferase Inhibitors Against Entamoeba histolytica and Schistosoma mansoni.

Probst Alexandra A Nguyen Thi N TN El-Sakkary Nelly N Skinner Danielle D Suzuki Brian M BM Buckner Frederick S FS Gelb Michael H MH Caffrey Conor R CR Debnath Anjan A

Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology 20190529

The protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica can induce amebic colitis and amebic liver abscess. First-line drugs for the treatment of amebiasis are nitroimidazoles, particularly metronidazole. Metronidazole has side effects and potential drug resistance is a concern. Schistosomiasis, a chronic and painful infection, is caused by various species of the Schistosoma flatworm. There is only one partially effective drug, praziquantel, a worrisome situation should drug resistance emerge ...[more]

PMID: 31192168

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Project description:BackgroundSchistosoma flatworm parasites cause schistosomiasis, a chronic and debilitating disease of poverty in developing countries. Praziquantel is employed for treatment and disease control. However, its efficacy spectrum is incomplete (less active or inactive against immature stages of the parasite) and there is a concern of drug resistance. Thus, there is a need to identify new drugs and drug targets.Methodology/principal findingsWe show that RNA interference (RNAi) of the Schistosoma mansoni ortholog of human polo-like kinase (huPLK)1 elicits a deleterious phenotypic alteration in post-infective larvae (schistosomula or somules). Phenotypic screening and analysis of schistosomula and adult S. mansoni with small molecule inhibitors of huPLK1 identified a number of potent anti-schistosomals. Among these was a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) benzimidazole thiophene inhibitor that has completed Phase I clinical trials for treatment of solid tumor malignancies. We then obtained GSKs Published Kinase Inhibitor Sets (PKIS) 1 and 2, and phenotypically screened an expanded series of 38 benzimidazole thiophene PLK1 inhibitors. Computational analysis of controls and PLK1 inhibitor-treated populations of somules demonstrated a distinctive phenotype distribution. Using principal component analysis (PCA), the phenotypes exhibited by these populations were mapped, visualized and analyzed through projection to a low-dimensional space. The phenotype distribution was found to have a distinct shape and topology, which could be elicited using cluster analysis. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) was identified for the benzimidazole thiophenes that held for both somules and adult parasites. The most potent inhibitors produced marked phenotypic alterations at 1-2 μM within 1 h. Among these were compounds previously characterized as potent inhibitors of huPLK1 in cell assays.Conclusions/significanceThe reverse genetic and chemical SAR data support a continued investigation of SmPLK1 as a possible drug target and/or the prosecution of the benzimidazole thiophene chemotype as a source of novel anti-schistosomals.

Project description:Characterization of the human microbiota is providing new insightsinto the complexity of host–parasite–bacterium relationships. Amoebiasis (an intestinal infection affecting a large proportion of the population in many countries worldwide) is caused by the amoebic parasite Entamoeba histolytica. During amoebiasis, the parasite encounters several types of stress as a result of the host’s response to infection. Given that E. histolytica phagocytises bacteria in the intestinal lumen, we hypothesized that enteric bacteria can influence the course of an amoebic infection. Hence, we used live Escherichia coli O55 as a pertinent model of the bacterial community’s contribution to amoebic responses during host- induced stress. By measuring amoebic survival, we found that live E. coli protected E. histolytica against oxidative stress (OS) but not against nitrosative stress. E. coli– associated protection is correlated with massive transcriptionalchanges in amoebic genes acquired through lateral transfer from the bacterial kingdom, including genes coding for proteinscontaining leucine-rich repeat (LRR) motifs. The transcriptome profile triggered by OS and E. coli was also observed with other enteric bacteria, including pathogens and non-pathogens. In contrast, exposure to a probiotic resulted in a different transcriptome profile. The present study shows that OS and live bacteria together modulate 84 of E. histolytica’s 137 LRR protein genes. The LRR proteins are involvedin protein-ligand and protein-protein interactions – especially in proteins that interact with bacteria as part of the innate immune response in mammals and plants, such as Toll-like receptors. The structural and functional homology of LRRs and TLRs identified here suggest that despite its old age in evolutionary terms, the protozoan E. histolytica displays key characteristics of higher eukaryotes’ innate immune systems. We conclude that components of innate immunity existed in the common ancestor of plants and animals

Dataset Information

Bioactivity of Farnesyltransferase Inhibitors Against Entamoeba histolytica and Schistosoma mansoni.

Publications

Bioactivity of Farnesyltransferase Inhibitors Against <i>Entamoeba histolytica</i> and <i>Schistosoma mansoni</i>.

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