1. Efficacy assessment of miltefosine and curcumin against Clonorchis sinensis infection.
- Author
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Lee S-O, Chu KB, Yoon K-W, Eom G-D, Mao J, Lee H, No JH, Song JH, Hong S-J, Kim SS, and Quan F-S
- Subjects
- Animals, Mesocricetus, Larva drug effects, Cricetinae, Male, Metacercariae drug effects, Clonorchis sinensis drug effects, Curcumin pharmacology, Curcumin therapeutic use, Clonorchiasis drug therapy, Clonorchiasis parasitology, Phosphorylcholine analogs & derivatives, Phosphorylcholine therapeutic use, Phosphorylcholine pharmacology, Anthelmintics therapeutic use, Anthelmintics pharmacology, Praziquantel pharmacology, Praziquantel therapeutic use
- Abstract
Praziquantel (PZQ) is currently the only approved drug for treating clonorchiasis, but its poor efficacy against Clonorchis sinensis larvae has highlighted the need to develop newer drugs. In this study, to address this challenge, we investigated the anti-parasitic efficacy of miltefosine (MLT), curcumin (CUR), and PZQ against C. sinensis metacercariae (CsMC), newly excysted juvenile worms (CsNEJs), and adults. Larvicidal effects of MLT and CUR surpassed those elicited by PZQ in vitro . These two drugs exerted their effect against both CsMC and CsNEJs in a dose- and time-dependent manner. To confirm the effect of these drugs in vivo , Syrian golden hamsters were orally infected with 100 CsMC and subsequently treated with MLT, CUR, or PZQ at 1 and 4 weeks post-infection (wpi). MLT and CUR reduced the worm recoveries at 1 and 4 wpi, indicating that these drugs were efficacious against both larvae and adult C. sinensis . PZQ was only efficacious against adult worms. Interestingly, both MLT and CUR showed lower levels of C. sinensis- specific IgG responses than the infection control group, implying that worm burden and bile IgG responses could be correlated. These results indicate that MLT and CUR are efficacious against both larval and adult stages of C. sinensis , thereby highlighting their potential for further development as alternative therapeutic options for clonorchiasis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Published
- 2024
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