Constituting the host-parasite interface and playing a censorious role in host immune response modulation and parasite survival, tegument represents a crucial target for many antischistosomal drugs. Sphingomyelin forms a stable outer leaflet of tegumental membrane-lipid bilayer. Neutral magnesium-dependent sphingomyelinase (Mg-nSMase) is a key enzyme in sphingomyelin breakdown was identified in schistosomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe control of schistosomiasis depends exclusively on praziquantel (PZQ) monotherapy with treatment failure due to minor activity against the juvenile stage, re-infection and emerging drug resistance. Improving the antischistosomal therapeutic/prophylactic profile of PZQ is a sensible option to save the clinical benefits of the drug if achieved effectively and safely via a single oral dose. Recently, we developed praziquantel-miltefosine lipid nanocapsules (PZQ 250 mg/kg-MFS 20 mg/kg LNCs) as a nanotechnology-enabled novel drug combination with significant multistage activity against Schistosoma mansoni (S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The control of schistosomiasis has been centered to date on a single drug, praziquantel, with shortcomings including treatment failure, reinfection, and emergence of drug resistance. Drug repurposing, combination therapy or nanotechnology were explored to improve antischistosomal treatment. The aim of the present study was to utilize a novel combination of the three strategies to improve the therapeutic profile of praziquantel.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Lipid nanocapsules (LNCs) have shown potential to increase the bioavailability and efficacy of orally administered drugs. However, their intestinal translocation to distal target sites and their implication in pharmacokinetic (PK)-pharmacodynamic (PD) relationships are yet to be elucidated. In this study, the effect of LNCs on the PD activity and pharmacokinetics of praziquantel (PZQ), the mainstay of schistosomiasis chemotherapy, was investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConsiderable evidence indicates a negative correlation between the prevalence of some parasitic infections and cancer and their interference with tumor growth. Therefore, parasitic antigens seem to be promising candidates for cancer immunotherapy. In this study, the therapeutic efficacy of autoclaved Schistosoma mansoni and Trichinella spiralis antigens against a colon cancer murine model was investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Miltefosine, an anti-cancer drug that has been successfully repositioned for treatment of Leishmania infections, has recently also shown promising effects against Schistosoma spp targeting all life cycle stages of the parasite. The current study examined the effect of treating Schistosoma mansoni adult worms with miltefosine on exposure of worm surface antigens in vitro.
Methodology/principal Findings: In an indirect immunofluorescence assay, rabbit anti-S.
A growing body of evidence supports the concept of helminths therapy in a variety of autoimmune diseases. Here, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of autoclaved Schistosoma mansoni antigen (ASMA) and Trichinella spiralis antigen (ATSA) on the clinical and immunopathological features of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Adjuvant arthritis was induced by subcutaneous and intradermal injections of complete Freund's adjuvant into the plantar surface of the right hind paw and the root of the tail, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA dual drug repurposing/nanotechnological approach was used to develop an alternative oral treatment for schistosomiasis mansoni using miltefosine (MFS), an anticancer alkylphosphocholine, and lipid nanocapsules (LNCs) as oral nanovectors. We demonstrated earlier that MFS possesses significant activity against different developmental stages of Schistosoma mansoni in the mouse model using 5 successive 20mg/kg/day oral doses. Moreover, an effective single dose (20mg/kg) oral treatment against the adult stage of S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSchistosomiasis is the second major parasitic disease in the world after malaria. It affects 201.5 million cases in Africa alone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMiltefosine (MFS) is an alkylphosphocholine used for the local treatment of cutaneous metastases of breast cancer and oral therapy of visceral leishmaniasis. Recently, the drug was reported in in vitro and preclinical studies to exert significant activity against different developmental stages of schistosomiasis mansoni, a widespread chronic neglected tropical disease (NTD). This justified MFS repurposing as a potential antischistosomal drug.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxoplasmosis is a zoonotic protozoal disease that has a major significance from the perspectives of public health and veterinary medicine. Therefore, an obvious long-term goal of many scientists would be the development of an effective vaccine. In this study, autoclaved vaccine was evaluated for its ability to protect mice against Toxoplasma gondii RH challenge as an acute infection model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis research aims towards developing an alternative antischistosomal drug using miltefosine, which is primarily used in the treatment of leishmaniasis. The treatment and control of schistosomiasis, a notable neglected tropical disease (NTD), rely on a single drug, praziquantel (PZQ). The dependency on PZQ exclusively is quite alarming, given the spread of the disease (over 200 million people infected and close to 800 million people at risk in three continents) and the threat of drug resistance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrichinosis is a parasitic infection affecting the gut and the muscles causing mild gastrointestinal symptoms followed by periorbital oedema, muscle pains, fever and eosinophilia. The infection evokes functional disturbances in physiological effector systems. Furthermore, several biochemical changes are associated with the infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) is one of the reliable and most widely used insect repellents. The present work was planed to evaluate the effect of free DEET, controlled release DEET and white precipitate ointment on the viability of cercariae of S. mansoni in-vitro.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe autoclaved cercarial vaccine (ACV) which is a special type of killed vaccine has been reported to induce experimental high level of homologous protective immunity. This study was to adjust the dose and to assess vaccine safety, longevity and stability as well as the possibility of transplacental transmission of immune response from pregnant mice to their offspring. The results showed that two doses of the lowest most effective concentration of ACV that achieved the high percentage reduction of worm burden is safe as demonstrated by absence of any local or systemic side effects, normal blood picture and normal liver and kidney function tests.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe autoclaved Trichinella spiralis larvae vaccine (ATSLV) was tested and showed a surprising and somewhat unpredictable effect on the immune system of mice experimentally infected with T. spiralis. The vaccine was given with Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) as an adjuvant at different durations and by different routes of administration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Egypt Soc Parasitol
December 2001
A newly simplified culture method, the In-Pouch TV culture system, the wet mount (WM) examination and the acridine orange stain were compared with the Oxoid culture as a standard technique in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis. Out of 70 symptomatic cases enrolled in this study, 28 specimens were positive by all methods. Among these positive specimens, 21 were positive by the Oxoid culture (75%) and 24 (85.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSoutheast Asian J Trop Med Public Health
October 2001
Autoclaved cercarial vaccine (ACV) was found to be highly effective in eliciting protective immunity against experimental Schistosomal mansoni. So, the aim of this study was to analyse ACV biochemically and to study ultrastructural changes inflicted on the cercariae as a result of autoclaving, thus rendering it highly protective. Results of this study showed that approximately 100 microg protein and 44 microg carbohydrate were obtained from 10(3) cercariae.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the present study, Toxoplasma infection with the virulent and avirulent strains in both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed mice was diagnosed using the MDS ELISA for detection of CA in sera and the PCR for demonstration of DNA in livers, brains and mononuclear cells of blood. Both techniques proved to be convenient, especially in immunosuppressed mice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral quinazoline derivatives containing substituted thiosemicarbazido and S-methylisothiosemicarbazido groups at the 2-position and at both the 2- and 4-positions have been synthesized. Treatment of the S-methylthiosemicarbazides with morpholine or diethylamine did not give the corresponding guanidines. Instead, they underwent cyclodesulfurization into the condensed ring systems, [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinazolinones and bis-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a:4'.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Egypt Soc Parasitol
December 1998
The complete developmental cycle of Leishmania major in axenic culture was achieved by simply changing the temperature whether sudden from 22 degrees C to 37 degrees C or stepwise 22 degrees C, 29 degrees C and then 37 degrees C. The morphology by light microscopy, GPI isoenzyme pattern and PCR amplification of minicircle of kinetoplast DNA of the different stages were studied. The amastigotes obtained from the foot pads of mice were compared to those obtained from axenic culture.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCryptosporidium paruum has become one of the most important contaminant found in drinking water and is associated with high risk of waterborne diseases particularly for the immunocompromised. In the present study, Cryptosporidium was found in uncovered water tanks, nearby the shore in El Noubareya and El Mahmoudeya canals and in one swimming pool. Direct flourescence monoclonal antibody was more sensitive in detecting the organism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe efficacy of autoclaved cercarial vaccine (ACV) in eliciting protective immunity against Schistosoma mansoni infection was investigated in Swiss strain Albino mice. Two main groups of animals were used. One served as control group and the second was vaccinated with ACV mixed with Bacille Clamette-Guerin (BCG) as an adjuvant, in a single, double and triple doses 2 weeks apart.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Egypt Soc Parasitol
April 1998
Swiss Albino mice have been infected with S. haematobium and challenged 4 weeks later with S. mansoni.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study aimed to differentiate between the virulent and avirulent strains of T. gondii by studying morphometric measurement using C.I.
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