Novel synthetic polyamines are effective in the treatment of experimental microsporidiosis, an opportunistic AIDS-associated infection.

Abstract

Microsporidia are eukaryotic obligate intracellular protists that are emerging pathogens in immunocompromised hosts, such as patients with AIDS or patients who have undergone organ transplantation. We have demonstrated in vitro and in vivo that synthetic polyamine analogs are effective antimicrosporidial agents with a broad therapeutic window. CD8-knockout mice or nude mice infected with the microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi were cured when they were treated with four different novel polyamine analogs at doses ranging from 1.25 to 5 mg/kg of body weight/day for a total of 10 days. Cured animals demonstrated no evidence of parasitemia by either PCR or histologic staining of tissues 30 days after untreated control animals died.

• Authors: Cyrus J Bacchi, Louis M Weiss, Schenella Lane, Benjamin Frydman, Aldonia Valasinas, Venodhar Reddy, Jerry S Sun, Laurence J Marton, Imitiaz A Khan, Magali Moretto, Nigel Yarlett, Murray Wittner
• Journal: Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy (Antimicrob Agents Chemother) Vol. 46 Issue 1 Pg. 55-61 (Jan 2002) ISSN: 0066-4804 [Print] United States
• PMID: 11751111 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Polyamines

Topics

• AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections (drug therapy)
• Animals
• Disease Models, Animal
• Encephalitozoon cuniculi (drug effects)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred BALB C
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Mice, Nude
• Microsporidiosis (drug therapy)
• Parasitic Sensitivity Tests
• Polyamines (adverse effects, chemistry, therapeutic use)
• Treatment Outcome