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Induction of Programmed Cell Death in Acanthamoeba culbertsoni by the Repurposed Compound Nitroxoline
Rubén L Rodríguez-Expósito1,2, Ines Sifaoui1,2, María Reyes-Batlle1,2
1Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias (IUETSPC), Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain.
Nitroxoline demonstrates potent amoebicidal activity against Acanthamoeba, effectively targeting both trophozoite and cyst stages. This study highlights nitroxoline
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Parasitology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Acanthamoeba are opportunistic parasites causing significant human and animal pathologies.
- Current Acanthamoeba treatments present challenges, necessitating novel therapeutic agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the amoebicidal efficacy of nitroxoline against Acanthamoeba.
- To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying nitroxoline's action.
Main Methods:
- Testing nitroxoline's activity against trophozoite and cyst stages of six Acanthamoeba strains.
- Inducing apoptosis and autophagy in Acanthamoeba trophozoites with nitroxoline.
- Performing proteomic analysis to identify affected cellular pathways.
Main Results:
- Nitroxoline exhibited significant amoebicidal activity, with low IC50 values against specific Acanthamoeba strains in both trophozoite and cyst forms.
- Nitroxoline induced apoptosis- and autophagy-related cellular changes in Acanthamoeba trophozoites.
- Proteomic analysis revealed nitroxoline's impact on proteins involved in apoptosis and metabolic pathways.
Conclusions:
- Nitroxoline is a promising candidate for treating Acanthamoeba infections.
- Nitroxoline's mechanism involves inducing programmed cell death and disrupting essential cellular processes in Acanthamoeba.
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