Effects of amiodarone, amioder, and dronedarone on Trichomonas vaginalis.
Tatiana Guinancio de SouzaGustavo BenaimWanderley de SouzaMarlene BenchimolPublished in: Parasitology research (2022)
Trichomonas vaginalis is a protozoan that causes human trichomoniasis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infection (STI) affecting approximately 278 million people worldwide. The current treatment for trichomoniasis is based on 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-methyl-5-nitroimidazole, known as metronidazole (MTZ). Although effective in clearing the parasite infection, MTZ is related to provoking severe side effects, and it is not recommended during pregnancy. In addition, some strains present resistance to 5'-nitroimidazoles, making urgent the development of alternative drugs for trichomoniasis. Amiodarone, an antiarrhythmic drug, exerts a significant anti-parasite effect, mainly due to its interference with calcium homeostasis and the biosynthesis of sterols. Therefore, we decided to test the effect of amiodarone and two other related compounds (amioder and dronedarone) on T. vaginalis. Our observations show that amiodarone stimulated, rather than inhibited, parasite growth, induced cell aggregation, and glycogen accumulation. Furthermore, the other two compounds displayed anti-parasite activity with IC50 of 3.15 and 11 µM, respectively, and the apoptosis-like process killed the cells. In addition, cells exhibited morphological changes, including an effect on hydrogenosomes structure.
Keyphrases
- cell cycle arrest
- induced apoptosis
- plasmodium falciparum
- toxoplasma gondii
- trypanosoma cruzi
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- cell death
- drug induced
- life cycle
- oxidative stress
- endothelial cells
- pi k akt
- escherichia coli
- sars cov
- signaling pathway
- stem cells
- high glucose
- early onset
- emergency department
- single cell
- cell therapy
- men who have sex with men
- stress induced
- adverse drug
- replacement therapy