The bacterial redox signaller pyocyanin as an antiplasmodial agent: comparisons with its thioanalog methylene blue.

The quorum sensor and signalling molecule pyocyanin (PYO) contributes significantly to the pathophysiology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. Comparison to phenothiazine drugs suggests that the antimalarial compound methylene blue (MB) can be regarded as a sulfur analog of PYO. This working hypothesis would explain why the synthetic drug MB behaves as a compound shaped in biological evolution.

European survey on decontamination in mass casualty incidents.

Objective: The goal of this study is to assess the European status in the case of mass casualties regarding legislation, responsibilities of ministries and organizations, education and training, material and equipment, and bottlenecks.

Design: A questionnaire answered by 22 of 27 European Union member states and Croatia, Norway, and Switzerland. Results and recommendations of a European expert's workshop on decontamination of victims of mass casualties.

Cytotoxic interactions of methylene blue with trypanosomatid-specific disulfide reductases and their dithiol products.

Methylene blue (MB) is known to have trypanocidal activity. We tested the interactions of MB with a number of trypanosomatid-specific molecules of the antioxidant metabolism. At pH 7, trypanothione and other (di)thiols were oxidized to disulfides by the phenothiazine drug.

Interactions of methylene blue with human disulfide reductases and their orthologues from Plasmodium falciparum.

Methylene blue (MB) has experienced a renaissance mainly as a component of drug combinations against Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Here, we report biochemically relevant pharmacological data on MB such as rate constants for the uncatalyzed reaction of MB at pH 7.4 with cellular reductants like NAD(P)H (k = 4 M(-1) s(-1)), thioredoxins (k = 8.

Molecular basis of glutathione reductase deficiency in human blood cells.

Hereditary glutathione reductase (GR) deficiency was found in only 2 cases when testing more than 15 000 blood samples. We have investigated the blood cells of 2 patients (1a and 1b) in a previously described family suffering from favism and cataract and of a novel patient (2) presenting with severe neonatal jaundice. Red blood cells and leukocytes of the patients in family 1 did not contain any GR activity, and the GR protein was undetectable by Western blotting.