Effect of the aggregated protein dye YAT2150 on Leishmania parasite viability

• DOI: 10.1128/aac.01127-23
• Publication Date: 2024-02-13T14:01:29Z
• Authors: Lucía Román-Álamo; Yunuen Avalos-Pad...; Inés Bouzón-Arnáiz; Valentín Iglesias; Jorge Fernández-Lajo; Juan M. Monteiro; Luis Rivas; Roser Fisa; Cristina Riera; David Andreu; Carlos Pintado-Grima; Salvador Ventura; Elsa M. Arce; Diego Muñoz-Torrero; Xavier Fernàndez-...
• Keywords: Amastigote; IC50

ABSTRACT The problems associated with the drugs currently used to treat leishmaniasis, including resistance, toxicity, and high cost of some formulations, call for urgent identification new therapeutic agents novel modes action. aggregated protein dye YAT2150 has been found be a potent antileishmanial compound, half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) approximately 0.5 µM against promastigote amastigote stages Leishmania infantum . encapsulation in liposomes significantly improved its vitro IC 0.37 0.19 promastigotes amastigotes, respectively, increased cytotoxic human umbilical vein endothelial cells >50 µM. became strongly fluorescent when binding intracellular deposits cells. This fluorescence pattern aligns proposed mode action this drug malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum , inhibition aggregation. In major rapidly reduced ATP levels, suggesting an alternative mechanism. To best our knowledge, first-in-class compound is only one described so far having significant activity both thus being potential treatment co-infections parasites.