Biological effects of trans, trans-farnesol in Leishmania amazonensis

IntroductionFarnesol, derived from farnesyl pyrophosphate in the sterols biosynthetic pathway, is a molecule with three unsaturations and four possible isomers. Candida albicans predominantly secretes the trans, trans-farnesol (t, t-FOH) isomer, known for its role in regulating the virulence of various fungi species and modulating morphological transition processes. Notably, the evolutionary divergence in sterol biosynthesis between fungi, including Candida albicans, and trypanosomatids resulted in the synthesis of sterols with the ergostane skeleton, distinct from cholesterol. This study aims to assess the impact of exogenously added trans, trans-farnesol on the proliferative ability of Leishmania amazonensis and to identify its presence in the lipid secretome of the parasite.MethodsThe study involved the addition of exogenous trans, trans-farnesol to evaluate its interference with the proliferation of L. amazonensis promastigotes. Proliferation, cell cycle, DNA fragmentation, and mitochondrial functionality were assessed as indicators of the effects of trans, trans-farnesol. Additionally, lipid secretome analysis was conducted, focusing on the detection of trans, trans-farnesol and related products derived from the precursor, farnesyl pyrophosphate. In silico analysis was employed to identify the sequence for the farnesene synthase gene responsible for producing these isoprenoids in the Leishmania genome.ResultsExogenously added trans, trans-farnesol was found to interfere with the proliferation of L. amazonensis promastigotes, inhibiting the cell cycle without causing DNA fragmentation or loss of mitochondrial functionality. Despite the absence of trans, trans-farnesol in the culture supernatant, other products derived from farnesyl pyrophosphate, specifically α-farnesene and β-farnesene, were detected starting on the fourth day of culture, continuing to increase until the tenth day. Furthermore, the identification of the farnesene synthase gene in the Leishmania genome through in silico analysis provided insights into the enzymatic basis of isoprenoid production.DiscussionThe findings collectively offer the first insights into the mechanism of action of farnesol on L. amazonensis. While trans, trans-farnesol was not detected in the lipid secretome, the presence of α-farnesene and β-farnesene suggests alternative pathways or modifications in the isoprenoid metabolism of the parasite. The inhibitory effects on proliferation and cell cycle without inducing DNA fragmentation or mitochondrial dysfunction raise questions about the specific targets and pathways affected by exogenous trans, trans-farnesol. The identification of the farnesene synthase gene provides a molecular basis for understanding the synthesis of related isoprenoids in Leishmania. Further exploration of these mechanisms may contribute to the development of novel therapeutic strategies against Leishmania infections

Synthesis and Antileishmanial Activity of Lipophilic Aromatic Aminoalcohols

In this work, we report on the preparation and evaluation of the in vitro antileishmanial activity of a series of lipophilic aromatic aminoalcohols. All compounds were assessed for their in vitro activity against promastigotes of three Leishmania species The most lipophilic aminoalcohols bearing an aliphatic moiety with eight to 12 carbon atoms displayed a good activity against L. amazonensis and L. major, and two of them also showed antiproliferative activity against L. chagasi. The best results were obtained for the N-dodecanoyl ethylenediamine derivative and for N-decyl aminoalcohol (IC50 = 5.2 and 0.7 μM, respectively)

Análise da expressão de isoformas de proteína quinase C em células cromafins da medula adrenal de ratos Wistar diabéticos tratados e não tratados com insulina

The diabetes mellitus (DM) reduces the catecholamine (CAs) secretion of adrenal chromaffin cells, a critical pathophysiologic event that promotes the occurrence of serious hypoglycemia episodes, consequence of the disease treatment. Several papers report the participation of protein kinase C (PKC) on catecholamine synthesis signal pathways of adrenal chromaffin cells. The objectives of this work were to study the effect of DM on expression of PKC isoforms α, ε and ζ in rat chromaffin cells and to evaluate if the glicemic control revert the effect of the illness. Male Wistar rats with diabetes induced by streptozotocin were used. Three experimental groups were determined: Control (C), diabetic rats receiving saline solution (DS) and diabetic rats receiving insulin (DI). The analyses were made after 15 days of DM induction. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting techniques were done. The insulin therapy protocol was established after studying the feeding behavior and glycemic level variations during the whole 24h. The information made possible to establish the time of insulin applications. Several schemes of insulin treatments were tested to keep the diabetic rat as close as possible to normoglycemia path. The best results were found by using 1U at 1:00 PM and 4U at 7:00 PM of NPH insulin. After 15 days of treatment the acquired body weight was similar between C and DI rats, 37±3g and 43±3g, respectively. The DS rats emaciated 9±6g. The fasting glycemic levels were 74±1mg/dl, 93±6mg/dl and 471±23mg/dl to C, DI and DS rats, respectively. The insulin therapy reestablishes the plasmic levels of total cholesterol, c-LDL and c-VLDL on DI rats. The DM did not change the levels of c-HDL, triglycerides and frutosamine. The PKCα is the more expressed isoform in adrenal chromaffin cells, followed by ζ and ε. The DM reduced 39,5% the PKCα expression and, unlike, increased 74,2% the expression of PKCζ. The expression of PKCε was not affected by DM. The insulin treatment reverted the effect of DM on PKCα, the expression of PKCε remained unchanged and the expression of PKCζ remained higher than the control group (+32,6%). Studies of our laboratory show that the DM causes reduction on adrenal catecholamine content (21,1%), basal secretion (-24,3%) and catecholamine secretion stimulated by carbachol (-28,9%) and high K+ (-42,2%). The insulin therapy, in like manner as observed on PKCα, reverted the DM effect on adrenal catecholamine content. It was shown that PKCα participates on signal transduction pathway that stimulates the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase. Otherwise, the insulin treatment did not restore the secretory processes, suggesting that PKCζ could be involved in this process. There are strong evidences showing that PKCζ regulates the voltage-dependent delayed rectifier K (Kv) and its expression was not normalized by insulin therapy.O diabetes mellitus (DM) reduz a secreção de catecolaminas (CAs) das células cromafins adrenais, sendo esse um evento patofisiológico crítico por favorecer a ocorrência de episódios de hipoglicemia grave decorrentes do próprio tratamento da doença. Vários trabalhos relatam a participação de proteínas quinase C (PKCs) nas vias de síntese e secreção de CAs nas células cromafins. Os objetivos desse trabalho foram analisar o efeito do DM sobre a expressão das isoformas α, ε e ζ de PKC em células cromafins de ratos e avaliar se o controle glicêmico reverte os efeitos da doença. Foram utilizados ratos Wistar com DM induzido por estreptozotocina. Foram estabelecidos três grupos experimentais, ratos controles (C), diabéticos tratados com salina (DTS) ou com insulina (DTI). As análises foram feitas 15 dias após a indução. Utilizamos as técnicas de imunohistoquímica e Western Blot. A insulinoterapia foi estabelecida após estudos do comportamento alimentar e da variação dos níveis glicêmicos de ratos controles e doentes durante 24h consecutivas. Foi testada a eficácia de diferentes esquemas de tratamento com insulina. O tratamento estabelecido consistiu em injeções de insulina NPH, sendo 1U aplicada às 13h e 4U às 19h. Após os 15 dias de tratamento, o ganho médio de massa corporal dos ratos C (+37±3g) e DTI (+43±3g) foram similares enquanto os DTS emagreceram (-9±6g). A média da glicemia de jejum dos ratos C (74±1mg/dl) e dos DTI (93±6mg/dl) foram similares e dentro dos níveis normais, enquanto que a dos ratos DTS foi elevada (471±23mg/dl). A insulinoterapia restabeleceu os níveis plasmáticos do colesterol total, c-LDL e c-VLDL nos ratos DTI. O DM não alterou os níveis de c-HDL, triglicerídos e frutosamina. As análises da expressão de PKCs mostraram que a PKCα é a mais expressada seguida de ζ e depois de ε. O DM reduziu em 39,5% a expressão da PKCα, enquanto a de ζ foi aumentada em 74,2%. A expressão da PKCε não foi afetada pelo DM. O tratamento com insulina reverteu o efeito do DM sobre a expressão de PKCα, a expressão da PKCε continuou inalterada e a expressão da PKCζ permaneceu elevada (+32,6%) quando comparada aos ratos C. Concluímos que em células cromafins adrenais, o diabetes afeta a expressão de isoformas de PKCs de maneira diferenciada. Trabalhos realizados em nosso laboratório mostraram que o DM reduz o conteúdo total (21,1%), a secreção basal (-24,3%) e a estimulada por carbacol (-28,9%) e K+ (42,2%) de CAs. Como observado para PKCα, a insulinoterapia reverteu o efeito do DM sobre o conteúdo total. Já foi demonstrado que PKCα participa de uma via de sinalização que estimula a atividade de tirosina hidroxilase. Por outro lado, o tratamento não restabeleceu os processos secretórios, sugerindo que PKCζ possa estar envolvida nessa alteração. Há fortes evidências de que PKCζ regula canais de K+ retificadores, o que pode explicar o efeito da doença sobre o processo de secreção via despolarização da membrana.CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superio

First isolation and genome sequence analysis of West Nile Virus in mosquitoes in Brazil

VALE S.A; Evandro Chagas Institute (IEC)Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde e Ambiente. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.State University of Pará. Center of Biological and Health Sciences. Graduate Program in Parasitary Biology in the Amazon. Belém, PA, Brazil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde e Ambiente. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde e Ambiente. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde e Ambiente. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Adolfo Lutz Institute. Immunology Center. São Paulo, SP, Brazil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde e Ambiente. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Setor de Zootecnia e Produção de Animais de Laboratório. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.State University of Pará. Center of Biological and Health Sciences. Graduate Program in Parasitary Biology in the Amazon. Belém, PA, Brazil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde e Ambiente. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde e Ambiente. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.West Nile virus is a flavivirus transmitted by mosquitoes, mainly of the genus Culex. In Brazil, serological studies have already indicated the circulation of the virus since 2003, with the first human case detected in 2014. The objective of the present paper is to report the first isolation of WNV in a Culex (Melanoconion) mosquito. Arthropods were collected by protected human attraction and CDC light bait, and taxonomically identified and analyzed by viral isolation, complement fixation and genomic sequencing tests. WNV was isolated from samples of Culex (Melanoconion) mosquitoes, and the sequencing analysis demonstrated that the isolated strain belonged to lineage 1a. The finding of the present study presents the first evidence of the isolation and genome sequencing of WNV in arthropods in Brazil

Biomphalaria spp . (Preston, 1910) snails in the municipality of Juiz de Fora, Zona da Mata Mineira mesoregion, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

This study focuses on the geographic distribution of the snail of the genus Biomphalaria and evaluates its infectivity by Schistosoma mansoni in 5264 specimens collected in the municipality of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Of the 31 locations studied, 6 were reservoirs, 11 rudimentary holding ponds, 7 irrigation ditches, 5 lakes, 1 ornamental pond, and 1 waterfall. Intermediate hosts were found only in the rudimentary ponds and ditches, which were 100% positive. Using morphological and molecular analysis techniques, B. tenagophila, B. peregrina, and B. straminea were identified. This is the first report of B. stramínea in the municipality, and evaluation of its infective potential revealed susceptibility of 25.4%. Although we did not find specimens of Biomphalaria infected by S. mansoni, the data obtained indicate the presence of intermediate hosts, especially in the irrigation ditches in Juiz de Fora, and their proximity to contaminated areas