Generation of Luciferase-Expressing Leishmania infantum chagasi and Assessment of Miltefosine Efficacy in Infected Hamsters through Bioimaging

Autor(es)

Reimao, Juliana Q. ^[1] ; Oliveira, Jordana C. ^[1] ; Trinconi, Cristiana T. ^[1] ; Cotrim, Paulo C. ^[2] ; Coelho, Adriano C. ^[1] ; Uliana, Silvia R. B. ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Biomed, Dept Parasitol, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Med Trop, Dept Molestias Infecciosas & Parasitarias, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases; v. 9, n. 2 FEB 2015.
• Citações Web of Science: 11

Resumo

Background The only oral drug available for the treatment of leishmaniasis is miltefosine, described and approved for visceral leishmaniasis in India. Miltefosine is under evaluation for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Americas although its efficacy for the treatment of human visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum chagasi has not been described. Drug efficacy for visceral leishmaniasis is ideally tested in hamsters, an experimental model that mimics human disease. Luciferase has been validated as a quantitative tool for the determination of parasite burden in experimental leishmaniasis. However, there are no reports of luciferase detection in the model of progressive visceral leishmaniasis in hamsters. Therefore, the aims of this study were to generate recombinant Leishmania infantum chagasi expressing the luciferase gene (Lc-LUC), characterize the biological properties of this transgenic line as compared with the wild-type parasites and evaluate miltefosine effectiveness in Lc-LUC infected hamsters. Methodology/Principal Findings A transgenic line containing a luciferase encoding gene integrated into the ribosomal DNA locus was obtained and shown to produce bioluminescence which correlated with the number of parasites. Lc-LUC growth curves and susceptibility to pentavalent antimony and miltefosine in vitro were indistinguishable from the wild-type parasites. The effectiveness of pentavalent antimony was evaluated in Lc-LUC infected hamsters through bioimaging and determination of Leishman Donovan Units. Both methods showed concordant results. Miltefosine was effective in the treatment of Lc-LUC-infected hamsters, as demonstrated by the reduction in parasite burden in a dose-dependent manner and by prolongation of animal survival. Conclusions/Significance Luciferase expressing parasites are a reliable alternative for parasite burden quantification in hamsters with advantages such as the possibility of estimating parasite load before drug treatment and therefore allowing distribution of animals in groups with equivalent mean parasite burden. Miltefosine was effective in vivo in an L. infantum chagasi experimental model of infection. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 13/01613-6 - Estudo da suscetibilidade à miltefosina em isolados de Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis
• Beneficiário: Caroline Ricce Espada
• Linha de fomento: Bolsas no Brasil - Iniciação Científica
• Processo FAPESP: 11/18858-6 - Tamoxifeno como droga anti-leishmania: atividade em esquemas terapêuticos combinados e estudo do mecanismo de ação
• Beneficiário: Cristiana de Melo Trinconi Tronco
• Linha de fomento: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 11/20484-7 - Tamoxifeno no tratamento de leishmaniose: avaliação de eficácia em esquemas de combinação de drogas e estudo do mecanismo de ação
• Beneficiário: Silvia Reni Bortolin Uliana
• Linha de fomento: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 11/21970-2 - Moduladores seletivos de receptores de estrógeno como candidatos a fármacos para leishmaniose visceral: avaliação de associações de fármacos e investigação de mecanismos de ação leishmanicida
• Beneficiário: Juliana Quero Reimão Dalla Zanna
• Linha de fomento: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado