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Related Concept Videos

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Leishmaniasis is a widespread parasitic disease caused by several Leishmania species. It affects millions of people each year and remains a major public health problem in endemic regions. First-line treatment relies on pentavalent antimonials, including meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate. Even so, how these drugs work has not been fully clear, especially their interaction with parasite-specific biochemical pathways. One key target is trypanothione reductase (TR), an enzyme that...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Development of Leishmania Species Strains with Constitutive Expression of eGFP
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Multi-drug tolerance in Leishmania persister-like cells.

Allison Aroni-Soto1,2,3, Pieter Monsieurs1,3, Odin Goovaerts4

  • 1Institute of Tropical Medicine, Experimental Parasitology Unit, Antwerp, Belgium.

Communications Biology
|June 12, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Leishmaniasis treatment is challenging due to drug-tolerant "persister-like" cells. These quiescent Leishmania survive antimony exposure by reducing metabolism, showing cross-tolerance to other drugs.

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Area of Science:

  • Parasitology
  • Drug Discovery
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Leishmaniasis is a tropical disease caused by Leishmania parasites, notoriously difficult to treat.
  • Antimony compounds remain a key treatment, but resistance is a growing concern.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the existence and characteristics of persister-like cells in Leishmania populations.
  • To understand the survival mechanisms of Leishmania under antimony drug pressure.

Main Methods:

  • Induction of persister-like cells in cultured Leishmania using lethal doses of antimony.
  • Analysis of cellular phenotypes, including proliferation, metabolism, mitochondrial membrane potential, and gene transcription.
  • Assessment of drug susceptibility and cross-tolerance in persister-like cells and resistant strains.

Main Results:

  • Leishmania persister-like cells were identified, exhibiting quiescence, reduced metabolism, and diminished mitochondrial membrane potential.
  • These persister-like cells displayed cross-tolerance to other anti-leishmanial drugs.
  • Antimony-resistant strains showed enhanced hyper-resistance after transient passage through the quiescent state.

Conclusions:

  • Leishmania exhibits remarkable adaptability to drug pressure through the formation of quiescent persister-like cells.
  • These findings underscore the need for novel anti-leishmanial drugs targeting non-proliferative parasitic forms.