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Updated: Mar 26, 2026
Measuring Bacterial Load and Immune Responses in Mice Infected with Listeria monocytogenes
Published on: August 9, 2011
[Cabozantinib inhibits Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice]
Qing Xiao1, Xiaolong He, Wenbing Zhang
1Department of Microbiology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.E-mail: xiaoqing081@163.com.
Objective:
To test the effect of the c-Met inhibitor cabozantinib in inhibiting infections by Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in mice.
Methods:
C57BL/6 mice at 6 weeks of age were subjected to intraperitoneal injection of LM and randomized into 4 groups for treatment with intraperitoneal injection of PBS, intragastric administration of cabozantinib (20 µg/g), intraperitoneal injection of ampicillin (Amp, 20 µg/g), or cabozantinib plus Amp. The survival curves were drawn for each group, and the number of bacteria in the blood and brain tissues was determined; serum IL-10 level and NF-κB p65 level in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were assayed, and Evans Blue (EB) content and pathological changes in brain were examined.
Results:
Compared with PBS-treated mice, the mice treated with cabozantinib showed a significantly higher survival rate, lower bacterial counts in the blood and brain (P<0.05 or 0.001), lower IL-10 (P<0.05) and NF-κB p65 levels (P<0.01), lower brain EB content (P<0.001), and milder pathological changes in the brain. The blood and brain bacterial counts (P<0.001), IL-10 (P<0.01) and NF-κB p65 levels (P<0.001), and brain EB content (P<0.001) were all significantly lower in mice treated with the combination of drugs than in mice treated with cabozantinib alone.
Conclusion:
Cabozantinib can inhibit LM infection in mice and has important values in developing new anti-intracellular infection drug.
Insights
Cabozantinib significantly inhibited Listeria monocytogenes infections in mice, improving survival and reducing bacterial load. This suggests cabozantinib
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacology
- Immunology
Background:
- Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is an intracellular pathogen causing severe infections.
- Current treatments may have limitations, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of cabozantinib, a c-Met inhibitor, against LM infections in a murine model.
- To assess the impact of cabozantinib on survival, bacterial burden, and host inflammatory responses.
Main Methods:
- C57BL/6 mice were infected with LM and treated with cabozantinib, ampicillin, or both.
- Key outcomes measured included survival rates, bacterial counts in blood and brain, IL-10 and NF-κB p65 levels, and brain pathology.
Main Results:
- Cabozantinib treatment significantly increased survival and reduced bacterial loads in blood and brain compared to controls.
- Cabozantinib decreased levels of IL-10 and NF-κB p65, and reduced brain Evans Blue content and pathological damage.
- Combination therapy with cabozantinib and ampicillin showed superior efficacy over cabozantinib alone.
Conclusions:
- Cabozantinib demonstrates significant anti-Listeria monocytogenes activity in vivo.
- Cabozantinib holds potential as a novel therapeutic agent for intracellular bacterial infections.
