Abstract
The naturally occurring polyether ionophore salinomycin was previously found to display promising anti-proliferative activity against bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei. Here, we report the evaluation of 20-deoxysalinomycin, a naturally occurring homolog to salinomycin, for trypanocidal and cell swelling activity. The concentration of 20-deoxysalinomycin required to reduce the growth rate of bloodstream-form trypanosomes by 50% was determined to be 0.12 μM and found to be 8 times more trypanocidal than that of salinomycin. Moreover, 20-deoxysalinomycin and salinomycin displayed similar cytotoxic activity against human HL-60 cells. Measured as the ratio of cytotoxic to trypanocidal activity, 20-deoxysalinomycin thus exhibits a four-fold higher selectivity compared to salinomycin. The stronger trypanocidal activity of 20-deoxysalinomycin is attributed to an enhanced ability to induce cell swelling in trypanosomes. The findings support 20-deoxysalinomycin as a useful lead in the rational development of new and improved anti-trypanosomal drugs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 108414 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Experimental Parasitology |
| Volume | 243 |
| Early online date | 21 Oct 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2022 |
Keywords
- 20-Deoxysalinomycin
- African trypanosomiasis
- Polyether ionophores
- Trypanosoma brucei