What's new for 'Trypanosomatids' in PubMed

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Search kinetoplastids OR kinetoplastid OR Kinetoplastida OR "trypanosoma brucei" OR leishmania OR brucei OR leishmaniasis OR "African trypanosomiasis"
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PubMed Results

Items 1 - 8 of 8

1.	Parasitol Int. 2010 Aug 20. [Epub ahead of print] Antileishmanial activity of a guaianolide from Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz Bip. da Silva BP, Cortez DA, Violin TY, Filho BP, Nakamura CV, Ueda-Nakamura T, Ferreira IC. Abstract Leishmaniasis is one of the major infectious diseases affecting the poorest regions of the world. The present study evaluated the antileishmanial activity of a guaianolide purified from the hydroalcoholic extract of aerial parts of Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz Bip. The isolated compound showed activity against the promastigote form of Leishmania amazonensis, with 50% inhibition (IC(50)) of cell growth at a concentration of 2.6mug/ml. For the intracellular amastigote form, this guaianolide reduced by 10% the survival index of parasites in macrophages when it was used at 20.0mug/ml. The selective index (SI) ratio (CC(50) for J774G8 cells/IC(50) for protozoans) was 385, showing that it is more selective against the parasite than mammalian cells. Morphological alterations of protozoans treated with IC(50) included changes in size, shape, and structure (more than one nucleus and flagellum) under both light and scanning electron microscopy.
	PMID: 20732450 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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2.	Pharm Biol. 2010 Sep;48(9):1053-8. Screening of medicinal plants against Leishmania amazonensis. García M, Monzote L, Montalvo AM, Scull R. Department of Parasitology, Institute of Tropical Medicine "Pedro Kourí", Havana City, Cuba. Abstract Context: Leishmaniasis is a widespread tropical infection caused by different species of Leishmania protozoa. There is no immunoprophylaxis (vaccination) available for Leishmania infections and conventional treatments are unsatisfactory; therefore antileishmanial drugs are urgently needed. Natural products are attractive due to their structural diversity. Objective: The present work investigated the antileishmanial action of 21 species of plants. Materials and methods: Plants were collected and their hydroalcoholic extracts were screened against promastigotes and amastigotes of L. amazonensis. Their toxicity was also assayed against peritoneal macrophages from BALB/c mice. Results: Five extracts showed significant growth inhibitory activity against promastigote form. Only the extracts from Bidens pilosa L. (Asteraceae) and Punica granatum L. (Punicaceae) inhibited the growth of intracellular amastigotes, with IC(50) values of 42.6 and 69.6 microg/mL, respectively. In addition, a low toxicity on macrophage from BALB/c mice was observed. Discussion: The antiparasitic activities of B. pilosa and P. granatum have been reported against other parasitic agents and their actions can be the results of flavonoids present in the extracts. Conclusion: This study supports the importance of natural products as potential sources in the search for new antileishmanial drugs.
	PMID: 20731558 [PubMed - in process]
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3.	Pharm Biol. 2010 Sep;48(9):1047-52. Echinacea and trypanasomatid parasite interactions: Growth-inhibitory and anti-inflammatory effects of Echinacea. Canlas J, Hudson JB, Sharma M, Nandan D. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Abstract Context/objective: Herbal preparations derived from various species and parts of Echinacea (Asteraceae) have been advocated for various medical applications, as a result of the many antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities attributed to them. Materials and methods: In order to investigate their effects on parasites, four preparations of Echinacea, with distinct chemical compositions, were evaluated for growth inhibition of three species of trypanosomatids: Leishmania donovani, Leishmania major, and Trypanosoma brucei. In addition one Echinacea preparation was tested for anti-inflammatory activity in cell culture models designed to measure pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by L. donovani. Results and discussion: All Echinacea preparations inhibited growth of the organisms, though with different relative potencies, and in some cases morphological changes were observed. However, there was no obvious correlation with the composition of the marker compounds, alkylamides, caffeic acid derivatives, and polysaccharides. L. donovani stimulated the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-8 in human bronchial epithelial cells and in human skin fibroblasts, but in both cases the standardized ethanol extract of E. purpurea (L.) Moench (Echinaforce((R))) abolished the stimulation, indicating anti-inflammatory activity of this extract. Conclusions: Thus various Echinacea extracts can inhibit the proliferation of these parasites and at least one can reverse the pro-inflammatory activity of Leishmania donovani.
	PMID: 20731557 [PubMed - in process]
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4.	J Antibiot (Tokyo). 2010 Jul;63(7):381-4. Epub 2010 May 26. Promising lead compounds for novel antiprotozoals. Otoguro K, Iwatsuki M, Ishiyama A, Namatame M, Nishihara-Tukashima A, Shibahara S, Kondo S, Yamada H, Omura S. Research Center for Tropical Diseases, Kitasato Institute for Life Sciences, Kitasato University, Tokyo, Japan. otoguro@lisci.kitasato-u.ac.jp
	PMID: 20661239 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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5.	BMC Struct Biol. 2010 May 17;10 Suppl 1:S5. Discrimination of thermophilic and mesophilic proteins. T aylor TJ, Vaisman II. National Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, 37 Convent Dr, MS 4264, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. todd.taylor@nih.gov Abstract BACKGROUND: There is a considerable literature on the source of the thermostability of proteins from thermophilic organisms. Understanding the mechanisms for this thermostability would provide insights into proteins generally and permit the design of synthetic hyperstable biocatalysts. RESULTS: We have systematically tested a large number of sequence and structure derived quantities for their ability to discriminate thermostable proteins from their non-thermostable orthologs using sets of mesophile-thermophile ortholog pairs. Most of the quantities tested correspond to properties previously reported to be associated with thermostability. Many of the structure related properties were derived from the Delaunay tessellation of protein structures. CONCLUSIONS: Carefully selected sequence based indices discriminate better than purely structure based indices. Combined sequence and structure based indices improve performance somewhat further. Based on our analysis, the strongest contributors to thermostability are an increase in ion pairs on the protein surface and a more strongly hydrophobic interior. PMCID: PMC2873828 Free PMC Article
	PMID: 20487512 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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6.	Exp Parasitol. 2010 Oct;126(2):239-44. Epub 2010 May 21. Trypanosoma cruzi: biological characterization of a isolate from an endemic area and its susceptibility to conventional drugs. Grosso NL, Bua J, Perrone AE, Gonzalez MN, Bustos PL, Postan M, Fichera LE. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología, Dr. M. Fatala Chaben, ANLIS C.G. Malbrán, Paseo Colón 568, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. noelialorenag@yahoo.com.ar Abstract We describe some biological and molecular characteristics of a Trypanosoma cruzi isolate derived from a Triatomine captured in Nicaragua. PCR based typification showed that this isolate, named Nicaragua, belonged to the lineage Tc I. Nicaragua infected culture cells were treated with allopurinol, showing different behavior according to the cellular compartment, being cardiomyocyte primary cultures more resistant to this drug. The course of the infection in a mice experimental model and its susceptibility to benznidazole and allopurinol was analyzed. In benznidazole treatment, mice reverted the high lethal effect of parasites during the acute infection, however, a few parasites were detected in the heart of 88% of mice 1 year post-infection. Since T. cruzi is a heterogeneous species population it is important to study and characterize different parasites actually circulating in humans in endemic areas. In this work we show that T. cruzi Nicaragua isolate, is sensitive to early benznidazole treatment.
	PMID: 20493848 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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7.	Exp Parasitol. 2010 Oct;126(2):245-53. Epub 2010 May 21. Trypanosoma cruzi: modulation of HSP70 mRNA stability by untranslated regions during heat shock. Rodrigues DC, Silva R, Rondinelli E, Urményi TP. Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Abstract Gene regulation in trypanosomatids occurs mainly by post-transcriptional mechanisms modulating mRNA stability and translation. We have investigated heat shock protein (HSP) 70 gene regulation in Trypanosoma cruzi, the causal agent of Chagas' disease. The HSP70 mRNA's half-life increases after heat shock, and the stabilization is dependent on protein synthesis. In a cell-free RNA decay assay, a U-rich region in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) is a target for degradation, which is reduced when in the presence of protein extracts from heat shocked cells. In a transfected reporter gene assay, both the 5'- and 3'-UTRs confer temperature-dependent regulation. Both UTRs must be present to increase mRNA stability at 37 degrees C, indicating that the 5'- and 3'-UTRs act cooperatively to stabilize HSP70 mRNA during heat shock. We conclude that HSP70 5'- and 3'-UTRs regulate mRNA stability during heat shock in T. cruzi.
	PMID: 20493845 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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8.	Int J Dermatol. 2010 Apr;49(4):406-9. Cutaneous melanoma in a desert climate zone: a retrospective study of 125 cases. Rahnama Z, Meymandi SS, Nasiri N. Dermatology Department, Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman Leishmania Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. zrahnama@yahoo.com Abstract BACKGROUND: With increasing incidence over the last few decades, cutaneous malignant melanoma (CM) represents 3% of all skin tumors, and accounts for 75% of all deaths because of cutaneous malignancies. Little is known about the nature and epidemiology of CM in individuals with pigmented skin. METHOD: Data were collected from the records of four public and private histopathology laboratories of Kerman city from March 20, 1994 to March 20, 2004. Skin biopsies with a diagnosis of CM were reevaluated to confirm the diagnosis of CM. The medical records of the patients were also taken into consideration. RESULTS: A total of 125 CMs were found. The male-to-female ratio was 1.08 : 1. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 58.9 years; with a peak in the seventh decade of life. Acral-lentiginous melanoma (ALM) represented 28.8% and; nodular melanoma occurred in 20% of cases. Limbs were the site of occurrence in 44% of tumors; whereas 36% of tumors occurred in head and neck region. There was a significant correlation between age and ALM (P = 0.007) and also between gender and melanoma types (P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that some demographic and histopathologic features of CM in this population differ from those in the literature. More studies including cohort studies are needed to fully describe the nature and survival rate of CM in this area.
	PMID: 20465695 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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