Abstract |
The development of drug resistance by infectious agents represents a major hindrance for controlling parasitic diseases and has stimulated the search for new compounds. We have previously shown that phylloseptin-1 (PS-1), a cationic peptide from the skin secretion of Phyllomedusa azurea, exhibited potent antimicrobial activity. Now we evaluate the effect of PS-1 on Leishmania amazonensis and Plasmodium falciparum. Concentrations as low as 0.5 microg/mL of PS-1 exhibited antileishmanial activity comparable to that of antimoniate of N-metilglucamine, while the antiplasmodial effect of PS-1 was evident at the concentration of 16 microg/mL, and reached an activity comparable to that of artesunate, at the concentration of 64 microg/mL. The high antiparasitic activity of PS-1, together with the unrelatedness of its chemical structure to any present antimicrobial drug, which prevents the development of cross-resistance, together with its non-toxicity to mammalian cells make this peptide a promising candidate for the treatment of malaria and leishmaniasis.
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Authors | Selma A S Kückelhaus, José Roberto S A Leite, Maria Imaculada Muniz-Junqueira, Raimunda Nonata Sampaio, Carlos Bloch Jr, C Eduardo Tosta |
Journal | Experimental parasitology
(Exp Parasitol)
Vol. 123
Issue 1
Pg. 11-6
(Sep 2009)
ISSN: 1090-2449 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 19460376
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
- Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
- Antiprotozoal Agents
- phylloseptin-1, Phyllomedusa
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Topics |
- Animals
- Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
(pharmacology, toxicity)
- Antiprotozoal Agents
(pharmacology, toxicity)
- Anura
- Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
- Erythrocytes
(parasitology)
- Female
- Humans
- Leishmania mexicana
(drug effects, growth & development)
- Macrophages, Peritoneal
(drug effects)
- Mice
- Plasmodium falciparum
(drug effects, growth & development)
- Skin
(metabolism)
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