Flavones substituées : une nouvelle classe de composés pour le traitement du paludisme : optimisation vers un candidat médicament

Malaria was responsible for 438.000 deaths in 2015. The increasing proportion of P. falciparum parasites resistant to artemisinin, the most potent antimalarial, is a major concern in Southeast Asia. Fast acting drugs with unaltered activity versus the current multi-drug resistant strains are urgently needed to replace artemisinin. This thesis deals with a new antimalarial series based on the structure of an active natural biflavonoid called lanaroflavone. The lead compound, MR27770, displays interesting properties: it acts throughout the blood cycle faster than artemisinin, its pharmacokinetic properties are promising, and it exhibits a partial in vivo antimalarial activity. Plus, it has no cross-resistance with artemisinin or other antimalarials. Its mode of action is unknown and could imply an osmotic stress. This promising compound has however a mild in vitro activity which motivated the topological study of its structure and led to optimized derivatives.Le paludisme est responsable de plus de 438 000 morts en 2015. L’apparition et la propagation de P. falciparum résistants à l’artémisinine, l’antipaludique le plus puissant, est un problème majeur en Asie du Sud-Est. Un besoin impérieux de nouveaux médicaments présentant une action rapide et conservée vis-à-vis de ces parasites résistants se fait sentir pour remplacer l’artémisinine. Cette thèse porte sur le développement d’une nouvelle série chimique inspirée d’un biflavonoïde naturel, la lanaroflavone. Le composé tête-de-série MR27770 présente des propriétés intéressantes : il agit de façon plus rapide que l’artémisinine tout au long du cycle érythrocytaire du parasite, ses propriétés pharmacocinétiques sont prometteuses et il est partiellement actif chez la souris impaludée. De plus, il ne présente pas de résistances croisées avec l’artémisinine ou les autres antipaludiques. Son mécanisme d’action n’est pas connu mais pourrait impliquer un stress osmotique. Ce composé prometteur présente néanmoins une activité moyenne in vitro ce qui a motivé l’étude topologique de sa structure et mené à des dérivés optimisés

Substituted flavones : a new class of compounds to treat malaria : hit to lead optimization

Le paludisme est responsable de plus de 438 000 morts en 2015. L’apparition et la propagation de P. falciparum résistants à l’artémisinine, l’antipaludique le plus puissant, est un problème majeur en Asie du Sud-Est. Un besoin impérieux de nouveaux médicaments présentant une action rapide et conservée vis-à-vis de ces parasites résistants se fait sentir pour remplacer l’artémisinine. Cette thèse porte sur le développement d’une nouvelle série chimique inspirée d’un biflavonoïde naturel, la lanaroflavone. Le composé tête-de-série MR27770 présente des propriétés intéressantes : il agit de façon plus rapide que l’artémisinine tout au long du cycle érythrocytaire du parasite, ses propriétés pharmacocinétiques sont prometteuses et il est partiellement actif chez la souris impaludée. De plus, il ne présente pas de résistances croisées avec l’artémisinine ou les autres antipaludiques. Son mécanisme d’action n’est pas connu mais pourrait impliquer un stress osmotique. Ce composé prometteur présente néanmoins une activité moyenne in vitro ce qui a motivé l’étude topologique de sa structure et mené à des dérivés optimisés.Malaria was responsible for 438.000 deaths in 2015. The increasing proportion of P. falciparum parasites resistant to artemisinin, the most potent antimalarial, is a major concern in Southeast Asia. Fast acting drugs with unaltered activity versus the current multi-drug resistant strains are urgently needed to replace artemisinin. This thesis deals with a new antimalarial series based on the structure of an active natural biflavonoid called lanaroflavone. The lead compound, MR27770, displays interesting properties: it acts throughout the blood cycle faster than artemisinin, its pharmacokinetic properties are promising, and it exhibits a partial in vivo antimalarial activity. Plus, it has no cross-resistance with artemisinin or other antimalarials. Its mode of action is unknown and could imply an osmotic stress. This promising compound has however a mild in vitro activity which motivated the topological study of its structure and led to optimized derivatives

Flowcytometric and ImageStream RNA-FISH Gene Expression, Quantification and Phenotypic Characterization of Blood Stages and Sporozoites From Human Malaria Species

International audienceWe adapted the RNA FISH Stellaris method to specifically detect the expression of Plasmodium genes by flow cytometry and ImageStream (Flow-FISH). This new method accurately quantified the erythrocytic forms of (1) Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax and (2) the sexual stages of P vivax from patient isolates. ImageStream analysis of liver stage sporozoites using a combination of surface circumsporozoite protein (CSP), deoxyribonucleic acid, and 18S RNA labeling proved that the new Flow-FISH is suitable for gene expression studies of transmission stages. This powerful multiparametric single-cell method offers a platform of choice for both applied and fundamental research on the biology of malaria parasites

Cross-resistance of the chloroquine-derivative AQ-13 with amodiaquine in Cambodian Plasmodium falciparum isolates

International audienceBackground Expanding resistance to multiple antimalarials, including chloroquine, in South-East Asia (SEA) urges the development of new therapies. AQ-13, a chloroquine derivative, is a new drug candidate for treating malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Objectives Possible cross-resistance between the 4-aminoquinolines amodiaquine, piperaquine and AQ-13 has not been assessed. In vitro parasite growth assays were used to characterize the susceptibility of multidrug-resistant and susceptible P. falciparum patient isolates to AQ-13. Methods A [3H]hypoxanthine uptake assay and a 384-well high content imaging assay were used to assess efficacy of AQ-13 and desethyl-amodiaquine against 38 P. falciparum isolates. Results We observed a strong cross-resistance between the chloroquine derivative amodiaquine and AQ-13 in Cambodian P. falciparum isolates (Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.8621, P < 0.0001). Conclusions In light of the poor efficacy of amodiaquine that we described recently in Cambodia, and its cross resistance with AQ-13, there is a significant risk that similar clinical efficacy of AQ-13-based combinations should be anticipated in areas of amodiaquine resistance

Takamalalme (Psidium acutangulum Mart ex. DC): understanding the use of an antimalarial traditional remedy from French Guiana

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DNA Methylation Bisubstrate Inhibitors Are Fast-Acting Drugs Active against Artemisinin-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Parasites

International audienceMalaria is the deadliest parasitic disease affecting over 200 million people worldwide. The increasing number of treatment failures due to multi-drug-resistant parasites in SouthEast Asia hinders the efforts for elimination. It is thus urgent to develop new antimalarials to contain these resistant parasites. Based on a previous report showing the presence of DNA methylation in Plasmodium, we generated new types of DNA methylation inhibitors against malaria parasites. The quinoline−quinazoline-based inhibitors kill parasites, including artemisinin-resistant field isolates adapted to culture, in the low nanomolar range. The compounds target all stages of the asexual cycle, including early rings, during a 6 h treatment period; they reduce DNA methylation in the parasite and show in vivo activity at 10 mg/kg. These potent inhibitors are a new starting point to develop fast-acting antimalarials that could be used in combination with artemisinins

Antiplasmodial and anti-inflammatory effects of an antimalarial remedy from the Wayana Amerindians, French Guiana: Takamalaimë (Psidium acutangulum Mart. ex DC., Myrtaceae)

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Humanized mice for investigating sustained Plasmodium vivax blood-stage infections and transmission

International audiencePlasmodium vivax is the most widespread human malaria parasite. Due to the presence of extravascular reservoirs and relapsing infections from dormant liver stages, P. vivax is particularly difficult to control and eliminate. Experimental research is hampered by the inability to maintain P. vivax cultures in vitro, due to its tropism for immature red blood cells (RBCs). Here, we describe a new humanized mice model that can support efficient human erythropoiesis and maintain long-lasting multiplication of inoculated cryopreserved P. vivax parasites and their sexual differentiation, including in bone marrow. Mature gametocytes were transmitted to Anopheles mosquitoes, which led to the formation of salivary gland sporozoites. Importantly, blood-stage P. vivax parasites were maintained after the secondary transfer of fresh or frozen infected bone marrow cells to naïve chimeras. This model provides a unique tool for investigating, in vivo, the biology of intraerythrocytic P. vivax

Malaria Parasite Stress Tolerance Is Regulated by DNMT2-Mediated tRNA Cytosine Methylation

International audienceMalaria parasites need to cope with changing environmental conditions that require strong countermeasures to ensure pathogen survival in the human and mosquito hosts. The molecular mechanisms that protect Plasmodium falciparum homeostasis during the complex life cycle remain unknown. Here, we identify cytosine methylation of tRNAAsp (GTC) as being critical to maintain stable protein synthesis. Using conditional knockout (KO) of a member of the DNA methyltransferase family, called Pf-DNMT2, RNA bisulfite sequencing demonstrated the selective cytosine methylation of this enzyme of tRNAAsp (GTC) at position C38. Although no growth defect on parasite proliferation was observed, Pf-DNMT2KO parasites showed a selective downregulation of proteins with a GAC codon bias. This resulted in a significant shift in parasite metabolism, priming KO parasites for being more sensitive to various types of stress. Importantly, nutritional stress made tRNAAsp (GTC) sensitive to cleavage by an unknown nuclease and increased gametocyte production (>6-fold). Our study uncovers an epitranscriptomic mechanism that safeguards protein translation and homeostasis of sexual commitment in malaria parasites.IMPORTANCE P. falciparum is the most virulent malaria parasite species, accounting for the majority of the disease mortality and morbidity. Understanding how this pathogen is able to adapt to different cellular and environmental stressors during its complex life cycle is crucial in order to develop new strategies to tackle the disease. In this study, we identified the writer of a specific tRNA cytosine methylation site as a new layer of epitranscriptomic regulation in malaria parasites that regulates the translation of a subset of parasite proteins (>400) involved in different metabolic pathways. Our findings give insight into a novel molecular mechanism that regulates P. falciparum response to drug treatment and sexual commitment