Article
Parasitology
Debashis Ghosh, Md Utba Rashid, Soumik Kha Sagar, Md Rasel Uddin, Shomik Maruf, Prakash Ghosh, Rajashree Chowdhury, Md Abu Rahat, Md Nazmul Islam, M. M. Aktaruzzaman, Abu Nayeem Mohammad Sohel, Megha Raj Banjara, Axel Kroeger, Abraham Aseffa, Dinesh Mondal
Summary: The study aimed to explore the epidemiological, serological, and entomological aspects of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in suspected new VL foci and assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the community living in the alleged new VL foci. The study found some areas with VL infection but no new active cases in the suspected new foci, highlighting the need for early detection and community awareness to control the spread of the disease.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Shomik Maruf, Soumik Kha Sagar, Md Utba Rashid, Md Rasel Uddin, Debashis Ghosh, Prakash Ghosh, Rupen Nath, Abu Nayeem Mohammad Sohel, M. M. Aktaruzzaman, Md. Nazmul Islam, Megha Raj Banjara, Axel Kroeger, Abraham Aseffa, Dinesh Mondal
Summary: COVID-19 has impacted the management of Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Bangladesh, resulting in extended treatment and reporting times for VL patients, as well as hindrances in indoor residual spraying activities. The study emphasizes the importance of long-term follow-up, effective vector control measures, and capacity development in sustaining the elimination goal in VL endemic regions.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Valter Viana Andrade-Neto, Juliana da Silva Pacheco, Job Domingos Inacio, Elmo Eduardo Almeida-Amaral, Eduardo Caio Torres-Santos, Edezio Ferreira Cunha-Junior
Summary: Translation studies involving drug reuse and combination therapies can lead to higher success rates in drug development, as evidenced by the promising results of spironolactone in treating leishmaniasis. Further research is needed to explore the potential benefits of combining spironolactone with meglumine antimoniate for improved parasite load control.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Shaila Basnyat, Megha Raj Banjara, Prakash Ghimire, Greg Matlashewski, Anjana Singh
Summary: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a life-threatening disease caused by Leishmania donovani, transmitted by sand flies in Nepal. Seroprevalence study in three endemic districts found asymptomatic individuals as potential reservoirs for VL transmission, with higher infection rates in children under 15. Family members of diagnosed VL cases did not show seropositivity.
PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Joao Carlos Franca-Silva, Rodolfo Cordeiro Giunchetti, Reysla Maria da Silveira Mariano, George Luiz Lins Machado-Coelho, Luciana de Almeida Silva Teixeira, Ricardo Andrade Barata, Erika Monteiro Michalsky, Marilia Fonseca Rocha, Consuelo Latorre Fortes-Dias, Edelberto Santos Dias
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of canine euthanasia on the incidence of visceral leishmaniasis in humans and canines. The findings showed that screening and culling measures for canines can reduce the incidence of the disease in both humans and canines.
Article
Microbiology
Fernanda Fortes de Araujo, Ines Lakhal-Naouar, Nancy Koles, Sorana Raiciulescu, Rupal Mody, Naomi Aronson
Summary: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a chronic infection caused by Leishmania parasites. Most individuals are asymptomatic, but some progress to symptomatic VL. The host immune response plays a major role in determining the progression and severity of VL. New biomarkers are needed to identify asymptomatic individuals at risk of developing VL. In this study, chemokine/cytokine levels were measured in peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PBMC) from AVL(+) individuals, and high levels of certain chemokines were detected compared to controls. Measurement of chemokine/cytokine levels can help identify cellular immune responses in asymptomatic VL individuals.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Henrique R. Teles, Leonardo L. G. Ferreira, Marilia Valli, Fernando Coelho, Adriano D. Andricopulo
Summary: In this study, 2D- and 4D-quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models were developed to investigate the activity of a series of oxazole and oxadiazole derivatives against Leishmania infantum, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. A clustering strategy based on structural similarity was used to divide the compounds into two groups, followed by the development of 2D- (R-2 = 0.90, R(2)pred = 0.82) and 4D-QSAR models (R-2 = 0.80, R(2)pred = 0.64) with improved statistical robustness and predictive ability.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Danielle Soter do Nascimento Damasio, Patricia Andrade Antunes, Eduardo Burgarelli Lages, Eliane de Morais-Teixeira, Katia Duarte Vital, Valbert Nascimento Cardoso, Simone Odilia Antunes Fernandes, Marta Gontijo Aguiar, Lucas Antonio Miranda Ferreira
Summary: The study developed a self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) and evaluated its efficacy in treating visceral leishmaniasis. The findings showed that the SEDDS significantly reduced the parasite burden and did not cause injury to the intestinal mucosa.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Deep Bhowmik, Achyut Bhuyan, Seshan Gunalan, Gugan Kothandan, Diwakar Kumar
Summary: In this study, a global multiepitope subunit vaccination against visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was designed using innovative immunoinformatics technique. The vaccine showed promising immunogenicity and has the potential to eradicate the disease in the future.
JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR STRUCTURE & DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ineka Gow, Nicholas Smith, Damien Stark, John Ellis
Summary: Neglected tropical diseases, such as leishmaniasis, disproportionately affect people in poorer nations around the world. Molecular detection provides accurate and fast diagnosis, and advancements in technology have made it accessible in various healthcare settings. Overcoming traditional limitations, new technologies and techniques are ensuring that molecular diagnostics are available to resource-limited nations. The current pandemic presents an opportunity to further progress in this field.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Awnish Kumar, Vishal Kumar Singh, Rahul Tiwari, Prasoon Madhukar, Shashi Kumar, Vibhav Gautam, Christian Engwerda, Shyam Sundar, Rajiv Kumar
Summary: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a severe and often fatal form of leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania donovani in the Indian sub-continent. Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a late cutaneous manifestation of VL, serving as a significant yet neglected reservoir of infection and posing a serious threat to the VL elimination program in India. Eradicating PKDL should be a priority within the current VL elimination program by understanding its pathogenesis and developing effective strategies for disease management.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Madhurima Roy, Arianna Ceruti, Rea Maja Kobialka, Sutopa Roy, Deblina Sarkar, Ahmed Abd El Wahed, Mitali Chatterjee
Summary: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is a fatal form of leishmaniasis caused by the parasite Leishmania donovani. Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), a dermal sequela of VL, and asymptomatic and relapsed VL cases serve as mobile disease reservoirs, contributing to disease transmission. The development of field-applicable molecular tests, such as the recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay, is crucial for accurate diagnosis, monitoring of parasite load, and achieving the goal of leishmaniasis elimination.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Helen Ashwin, Jovana Sadlova, Barbora Vojtkova, Tomas Becvar, Patrick Lypaczewski, Eli Schwartz, Elizabeth Greensted, Katrien Van Bocxlaer, Marion Pasin, Kai S. Lipinski, Vivak Parkash, Greg Matlashewski, Alison M. Layton, Charles J. Lacey, Charles L. Jaffe, Petr Volf, Paul M. Kaye
Summary: Leishmaniasis is considered a vaccine-preventable disease, but costs and uncertainty hinder progress in vaccine development. Controlled human infection models offer a way to speed up vaccine development and gain better understanding of disease pathogenesis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Purva Pingle, Atul Mourya, Madhulika Namdeo, Katta Chanti Babu, Harithasree Veerabomma, Radheshyam Maurya, Pankaj Kumar Singh, Neelesh Kumar Mehra, Saurabh Srivastava, Jitender Madan
Summary: The utility of andrographolide in treating visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis is limited due to its poor solubility and unstable structure. In this study, the researchers successfully synthesized an andrographolide-Soya-L-alpha-phosphatidyl choline complex with improved solubility. The complex demonstrated enhanced efficacy against Leishmania donovani and increased cellular uptake. Further in vivo studies are needed to explore the clinical potential of this complex.
Article
Immunology
Romulo Pessoa-e-Silva, Lays Adrianne Mendonca Trajano-Silva, Victor Vaitkevicius-Antao, Wagner Jose Tenorio dos Santos, Franklin Barbalho Magalhaes, Danielle Maria Nascimento Moura, Eiji Kevin Nakasone Nakasone, Virginia Maria Barros de Lorena, Milena de Paiva-Cavalcanti
Summary: The study evaluated the in vitro cellular immune response of dogs elicited by new recombinant proteins of Leishmania infantum. Results showed that Lci13 significantly increased IFN-gamma expression in uninfected animals, suggesting its potential for immunoprophylaxis.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Che-Sheng Hsu, Carlos R. Goncalves, Veronica Tona, Amandine Pons, Marcel Kaiser, Nuno Maulide
Summary: The article presents a method of synthesizing amine compounds using highly electron-deficient iminium ions and highlights its broad applicability through a specific case study.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Sabina Beilstein, Radhia El Phil, Suzanne Sherihan Sahraoui, Leonardo Scapozza, Marcel Kaiser, Pascal Maser
Summary: This article discusses the experimental methods and strategies for selecting drug-resistant parasites, using African trypanosomes as an example. Researchers need to consider factors such as the environmental conditions, life stages, and pressure for selecting drug resistance, while taking into account the laboratory settings.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Xu-Chen Feng, Gang Zhang, Ru Sun, Yu-Jie Xu, Jian-Feng Ge
Summary: This study designed and synthesized three new Golgi markers for monitoring the normal functioning of the Golgi apparatus. The experiments showed that these markers were able to rapidly and accurately label the Golgi apparatus, and they had low cytotoxicity.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Zhi-Hao Zhang, Qing Yu, Gang Zhang, Hai-Yan Peng, Ru Sun, Yu-Jie Xu, Jian-Feng Ge
Summary: Two chromenoquinoline-based fluorescent probes 1a-b were synthesized and studied, showing good photostability and selectivity after 6 h irradiation, strong absorption and emission in organic solvents, and the influence of alkylation on the optical properties of 1b.
JOURNAL OF FLUORESCENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Clemens Hinteregger, Johanna Dolensky, Werner Seebacher, Robert Saf, Pascal Maeser, Marcel Kaiser, Robert Weis
Summary: 2,4-Diaminopyrimidines and (dialkylamino)azabicyclo-nonanes have activity against protozoan parasites. A series of fused hybrids were synthesized and tested in vitro against malaria tropica and sleeping sickness pathogens. The activities and selectivities of compounds strongly depended on the substitution pattern of both ring systems as well as the position of the nitrogen atom in the bicycles.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Werner Seebacher, Marcel Kaiser, Pascal Maeser, Robert Saf, Eva-Maria Pferschy-Wenzig, Robert Weis
Summary: Several 1-benzyl and 1,3-dibenzyl derivatives of tetrahydropyridinylidene salts with varying electron withdrawing substituents at the aromatic residues have been synthesized and investigated for their biological activities and cytotoxicity. Characterization of these compounds was carried out using FT-IR, HRMS and NMR spectroscopy.
MONATSHEFTE FUR CHEMIE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Ming-Sen Zhu, Gang Zhang, Yu-Jie Xu, Ru Sun, Jian-Feng Ge
Summary: In this study, probes 5a-c and 6b were synthesized by introducing quinazolinone into aldehydes with different double bond numbers. These probes exhibited absorption and emission maxima in different polar solvents. Probe 5c showed significant fluorescence enhancement with increased viscosity. Moreover, probes 5a-c and 6b showed pH-sensitive fluorescence intensity enhancement in alkaline solution. Cell experiments demonstrated the ability of probes 5a-b to target mitochondria and probes 5c-6b to target lysosomes.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hong-Jiao Liu, Gang Zhang, Yu-Jie Xu, Ru Sun, Jian-Feng Ge
Summary: A novel strategy based on host-guest interaction was proposed for fluorescence enhancement in aqueous solution and cell imaging. By modifying the dyes and forming covalent bonds with methylated beta-cyclodextrin, fluorescent supramolecular nanoparticles were formed, leading to improved fluorescence quantum yields.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Srinivasa P. S. Rao, Matthew K. Gould, Jonas Noeske, Manuel Saldivia, Rajiv S. Jumani, Pearly S. Ng, Olivier Rene, Yen-Liang Chen, Marcel Kaiser, Ryan Ritchie, Amanda Fortes Francisco, Nila Johnson, Debjani Patra, Harry Cheung, Colin Deniston, Andreas D. Schenk, Wilian A. Cortopassi, Remo S. Schmidt, Natalie Wiedemar, Bryanna Thomas, Rima Palkar, Nahdiyah A. Ghafar, Vanessa Manoharan, Catherine Luu, Jonathan E. Gable, Kah Fei Wan, Elmarie Myburgh, Jeremy C. Mottram, Whitney Barnes, John Walker, Charles Wartchow, Natasha Aziz, Colin Osborne, Juergen Wagner, Christopher Sarko, John M. Kelly, Ujjini H. Manjunatha, Pascal Maeser, Jan Jiricek, Suresh B. Lakshminarayana, Michael P. Barrett, Thierry T. Diagana
Summary: Millions of people in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa are at risk of trypanosomatid infections. Researchers have identified a class of cyanotriazoles (CTs) that have potent trypanocidal activity and can potentially be used for the treatment of Chagas disease and human African trypanosomiasis. These CT compounds act by selectively and irreversibly inhibiting trypanosomal topoisomerase II and stabilizing DNA:enzyme cleavage complexes.
Article
Spectroscopy
Hai-Yan Peng, Gang Zhang, Ru Sun, Yu-Jie Xu, Jian-Feng Ge
Summary: In order to detect the level of thiophenols in the environment and biological samples, probes 1a-b were synthesized by introducing the 2,4-dinitrophenyl ether group into diethylcoumarin-salicylaldehyde based compounds. These probes can form host-guest compounds with methylated beta-cyclodextrin, showing significant increase in fluorescence intensity in thiophenols detection. The hydrophobic cavity of methylated beta-cyclodextrin enhances the fluorescence intensity of probes 1a-b and reduces their detection limits to thiophenols, without affecting their selectivity and response time.
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Hong-Jiao Liu, Ming-Sen Zhu, Gang Zhang, Ru Sun, Yu-Jie Xu, Jian-Feng Ge
Summary: A series of viscosity probes targeting different organelles were obtained using a single hemicyanine dye as the matrix structure. These probes had relatively large molar absorption coefficients in the red light region and their fluorescence intensity in glycerol was 35-184 times higher than that in phosphate buffer solution (PBS). Cell staining experiments demonstrated that these probes could target lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, and undergo viscosity-detectable changes in the corresponding organelles.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Hao-Chi Hao, Gang Zhang, Ru Sun, Yu-Jie Xu, Jian-Feng Ge
Summary: Four 1,8-naphthyridine derivatives (1a-1d) with different organelle targeting abilities were synthesized. The optical properties of the derivatives were characterized, showing a red-shift of fluorescence emission with increasing system polarity. Colocalization imaging experiments confirmed the organelle-targeting capabilities of the derivatives and their ability to monitor organelle polarity fluctuation. This work proposes a new molecular design idea for developing polarity-sensitive fluorescent probes with organelle targeting.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jing-Yu Zhao, Gang Zhang, Hao-Chi Hao, Ru Sun, Yu-Jie Xu, Jian-Feng Ge
Summary: This study presents the discovery of mitochondria probes for real-time monitoring of mitophagy process. The probes showed excellent fluorescence performance and targeting capability, and were able to detect changes in mitochondrial viscosity. These probes have significant potential for investigating dynamic pathological processes related to mitophagy.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2024)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Shu-Yi Li, Wen-Li Wang, Chang Wang, Ru Sun, Jian-Feng Ge
Summary: This study evaluates the contribution of host-guest chemistry in fluorescence enhancement under aqueous conditions. Two benzo[a]phenoxazine derivatives with the adamantyl group were synthesized and formed stable complexes with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin. The emissions of these complexes were greatly increased in aqueous solution, with fluorescence quantum yields reaching 11.5-12.6%. Furthermore, they were successfully applied in fluorescence labeling of organelles in HeLa cells.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Meng-Nan Li, Jing-Yu Zhao, Gang Zhang, Yu-Jie Xu, Jian-Feng Ge, Ru Sun
Summary: This paper reports the design and synthesis of novel nitrogen-containing heterocycle dyes with large conjugated planar structures. These dyes exhibited excellent optical properties and potential biological applications. They showed fluorescence intensity changes and high fluorescence quantum yields in different solvents, with the polarity of the solvents affecting their excited-state lifetime. The dyes demonstrated toxicity towards cancer cells and growth-promoting effects on normal cells. Additionally, they could be used for long-term observation of targeted cellular physiological activity and dynamic monitoring of changes in lipid droplets polarity. The results have important implications for understanding the physiological functions of lipid droplets.
