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Gold-Conjugated Curcumin as a Novel Therapeutic Agent against Brain-Eating Amoebae
Mohammad Ridwane Mungroo1, Ayaz Anwar1, Naveed Ahmed Khan2
1Department of Biological Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway 47500, Malaysia.
Abstract:
Balamuthia mandrillaris and Naegleria fowleri are free-living amoebae that cause infection of the central nervous system, granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) and primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), respectively. The fact that mortality rates for cases of GAE and PAM are more than 95% indicates the need for new therapeutic agents against those amoebae. Considering that curcumin exhibits a wide range of biological properties and has shown efficacy against Acanthamoeba castellanii, we evaluated the amoebicidal properties of curcumin against N. fowleri and B. mandrillaris. Curcumin showed significant amoebicidal activities with an AC50 of 172 and 74 μM against B. mandrillaris and N. fowleri, respectively. Moreover, these compounds were also conjugated with gold nanoparticles to further increase their amoebicidal activities. After conjugation with gold nanoparticles, amoebicidal activities of the drugs were increased by up to 56 and 37% against B. mandrillaris and N. fowleri, respectively. These findings are remarkable and suggest that clinically available curcumin and our gold-conjugated curcumin nanoparticles hold promise in the improved treatment of fatal infections caused by brain-eating amoebae and should serve as a model in the rationale development of therapeutic interventions against other infections.
Insights
Curcumin shows promise in treating deadly brain infections caused by Balamuthia mandrillaris and Naegleria fowleri. Gold-conjugated curcumin nanoparticles further enhance its effectiveness against these amoebae.
Area of Science:
- * Infectious Diseases
- * Parasitology
- * Nanomedicine
Background:
- * Balamuthia mandrillaris and Naegleria fowleri cause fatal central nervous system infections: granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE) and primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
- * High mortality rates (>95%) underscore the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies.
- * Curcumin, known for its diverse biological activities, has demonstrated efficacy against Acanthamoeba castellanii.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To evaluate the amoebicidal properties of curcumin against Balamuthia mandrillaris and Naegleria fowleri.
- * To investigate the enhanced amoebicidal activity of curcumin conjugated with gold nanoparticles against these pathogens.
Main Methods:
- * In vitro assessment of curcumin's amoebicidal activity against B. mandrillaris and N. fowleri.
- * Conjugation of curcumin with gold nanoparticles.
- * Evaluation of the enhanced amoebicidal efficacy of the gold-conjugated curcumin nanoparticles.
Main Results:
- * Curcumin exhibited significant amoebicidal activity with AC50 values of 172 μM against B. mandrillaris and 74 μM against N. fowleri.
- * Conjugation with gold nanoparticles increased the amoebicidal activity of curcumin by up to 56% against B. mandrillaris and 37% against N. fowleri.
- * The study demonstrated dose-dependent inhibition of amoebic growth by curcumin.
Conclusions:
- * Curcumin possesses notable amoebicidal properties against B. mandrillaris and N. fowleri.
- * Gold-conjugated curcumin nanoparticles represent a promising strategy for enhancing therapeutic efficacy against these brain-eating amoebae.
- * These findings suggest a potential new treatment for GAE and PAM and offer a model for developing interventions against other parasitic infections.
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