The Existing Drug Nifuroxazide as an Antischistosomal Agent: In Vitro, In Vivo, and In Silico Studies of Macromolecular Targets

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Roquini, Vinicius ; Mengarda, Ana C. C. ; Cajas, Rayssa A. A. ; Martins-da-Silva, Milene F. F. ; Godoy-Silva, Julia ; Santos, Gustavo A. A. ; Espirito-Santo, Maria Cristina C. ; Pavani, Thais F. A. ; Melo, Vanusa A. A. ; Salvadori, Maria C. C. ; Teixeira, Fernanda S. S. ; Rando, Daniela G. G. ; de Moraes, Josue

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM; v. N/A, p. 12-pg., 2023-07-06.

Resumo

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease that afflicts approximately 250 million people worldwide. There is an urgent demand for new antiparasitic agents because praziquantel, the only drug available for the treatment of schistosomiasis, is not universally effective and may derail current progress toward the WHO goal of eliminating this disease as a public health problem by 2030. Nifuroxazide (NFZ), an oral nitrofuran antibiotic, has recently been explored to be repurposed for parasitic diseases. Here, in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies were conducted to evaluate the activity of NFZ on Schistosoma mansoni. The in vitro study showed significant antiparasitic activity, with 50% effective concentration (EC50) and 90% effective concentration (EC90) values of 8.2 to 10.8 and 13.7 to 19.3 mu M, respectively. NFZ also affected worm pairing and egg production and induced severe damage to the tegument of schistosomes. In vivo, a single oral dose of NFZ (400 mg/kg of body weight) to mice harboring either prepatent or patent S. mansoni infection significantly reduced the total worm burden (similar to 40%). In patent infection, NFZ achieved a high reduction in the number of eggs (similar to 80%), but the drug caused a low reduction in the egg burden of animals with prepatent infection. Finally, results from in silico target fishing methods predicted that serine/threonine kinases could be one of the potential targets for NFZ in S. mansoni. Overall, the present study revealed that NFZ possesses antischistosomal properties, mainly in terms of egg burden reduction in animals with patent S. mansoni infection. IMPORTANCE The increasing recognition of the burden imposed by helminthiasis, associated with the limited therapeutic arsenal, has led to initiatives and strategies to research and develop new drugs for the treatment of schistosomiasis. One of these strategies is drug repurposing, which considers low-risk compounds with potentially reduced costs and shorter time for development. In this study, nifuroxazide (NFZ) was evaluated for its anti-Schistosoma mansoni potential through in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies. In vitro, NFZ affected worm pairing and egg production and induced severe damage to the tegument of schistosomes. In vivo, a single oral dose of NFZ (400 mg/kg) to mice harboring either prepatent or patent S. mansoni infection significantly reduced the total worm burden and egg production. In silico investigations have identified serine/threonine kinases as a molecular target for NFZ. Collectively, these results implied that NFZ might be a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of schistosomiasis. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 20/01441-4 - Seleção de fármacos com atividade anti-helmíntica, nanoencapsulação e avaliação pré-clínica em modelo experimental de esquistossomose
• Beneficiário: Josué de Moraes
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 19/25905-2 - Avaliação pré-clínica para administração oral de formulações nanoestruturadas contendo fármacos com atividade anti-helmíntica
• Beneficiário: Ana Carolina Araujo Mengarda
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 19/26686-2 - Catepsina B1 de Schistosoma mansoni: design e síntese racional de potenciais inibidores
• Beneficiário: Daniela Goncales Galasse Rando
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 16/22488-3 - Reposicionamento de fármacos para doenças negligenciadas: identificação de novos agentes anti-helmínticos
• Beneficiário: Josué de Moraes
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular