Cytokines and Their STATs in Cutaneous and Visceral Leishmaniasis

Cytokines play a critical role in shaping the host immune response to Leishmania infection and directing the development of protective and non-protective immunities during infection. Cytokines exert their biological activities through the activation and translocation of transcription factors into the nucleus whether they drive the expression of specific cytokine-responsive genes. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STATs) are transcription factors which play a critical role in mediating signaling downstream of cytokine receptors and are important for shaping the host immune response during Leishmania infection. Here we discuss the signature cytokines and their associated STATs involved in the host immune response during cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis

Host-Directed Drug Therapies for Neglected Tropical Diseases Caused by Protozoan Parasites

The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) caused by protozoan parasites are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Current treatments using anti-parasitic drugs are toxic and prolonged with poor patient compliance. In addition, emergence of drug-resistant parasites is increasing worldwide. Hence, there is a need for safer and better therapeutics for these infections. Host-directed therapy using drugs that target host pathways required for pathogen survival or its clearance is a promising approach for treating infections. This review will give a summary of the current status and advances of host-targeted therapies for treating NTDs caused by protozoa

Evaluation of synergy between host and pathogen-directed therapies against intracellular Leishmania donovani

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is associated with treatment complications due to the continued growth of resistant parasites toward currently available pathogen-directed therapeutics. To limit the emergence and combat resistant parasites there is a need to develop new anti-leishmanial drugs and alternative treatment approaches, such as host-directed therapeutics (HDTs). Discovery of new anti-leishmanial drugs including HDTs requires suitable in vitro assay systems. Herein, we modified and evaluated a series of resazurin assays against different life-stages of the VL causing parasite, Leishmania donovani to identify novel HDTs. We further analyzed the synergy of combinatorial interactions between traditionally used pathogen-directed drugs and HDTs for clearance of intracellular L. donovani. The inhibitory concentration at 50% (IC50) of the five evaluated therapies [amphotericin B (AMB), miltefosine, paromomycin, DNER-4, and AR-12 (OSU-03012)] was determined against promastigotes, extracellular amastigotes, and intracellular amastigotes of L. donovani via a resazurin-based assay and compared to image-based microscopy. Using the resazurin-based assay, all evaluated therapies showed reproducible anti-leishmanial activity against the parasite's different life-stages. These results were consistent to the traditional image-based technique. The gold standard of therapy, AMB, showed the highest potency against intracellular L. donovani, and was further evaluated for combinatorial effects with the HDTs. Among the combinations analyzed, pathogen-directed AMB and host-directed AR-12 showed a synergistic reduction of intracellular L. donovani compared to individual treatments. The modified resazurin assay used in this study demonstrated a useful technique to measure new anti-leishmanial drugs against both intracellular and extracellular parasites. The synergistic interactions between pathogen-directed AMB and host-directed AR-12 showed a great promise to combat VL, with the potential to reduce the emergence of drug-resistant strains

Interleukin 21 Is a T Helper (Th) Cell 2 Cytokine that Specifically Inhibits the Differentiation of Naive Th Cells into Interferon γ–producing Th1 Cells

The cytokine potential of developing T helper (Th) cells is directly shaped both positively and negatively by the cytokines expressed by the effector Th cell subsets. Here we find that the recently identified cytokine, interleukin (IL)-21, is preferentially expressed by Th2 cells when compared with Th1 cells generated in vitro and in vivo. Exposure of naive Th precursors to IL-21 inhibits interferon (IFN)-γ production from developing Th1 cells. The repression of IFN-γ production is specific in that the expression of other Th1 and Th2 cytokines is unaffected. IL-21 decreases the IL-12 responsiveness of developing Th cells by specifically reducing both signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 protein and mRNA expression. These results suggest that Th2 cell-derived IL-21 regulates the development of IFN-γ–producing Th1 cells which could serve to amplify a Th2 response