In vitro and in vivo Efficacies of Novel Harmine Derivatives in the Treatment of Cystic Echinococcosis

Abstract

Introduction Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a chronic zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the larvae of the Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato ( s.l .) cluster. The current existing drugs have limited therapeutic efficacy against cystic echinococcosis, and thus, there is an urgent need to develop new drugs. Methods In this study, 7 harmine (HM) derivatives were screened and the effects of HM derivatives on E. granulosus sensu stricto ( s.s .) were evaluated by in vitro and mouse experiments. The safety of the HM derivatives was assessed by cytotoxicity assays, acute toxicity study in animals and subacute toxicity study. Results These results show that the HM derivatives H-2-168 and DH-004 exhibited more significant antiparasitic effects at an initial concentration of 40 μM. The results of further studies showed that H-2-168 and DH-004 had dose-dependent effects against protoscoleces and had satisfactory therapeutic outcomes in vivo. Electron microscopy observations demonstrated that H-2-168 and DH-004 caused severe disruption of the parasite ultrastructure. Notably, the results of the acute toxicity and subchronic toxicity studies showed that H-2-168 and DH-004 had significantly improved safety. In addition, we found that H-2-168 and DH-004 induced DNA damage in E. granulosus s.s ., which may be the mechanism by which these drugs produce their therapeutic effects. Discussion Overall, the data from this work demonstrate that H-2-168 and DH-004 are highly effective candidate compounds with low toxicity for the treatment of CE and will provide a new therapeutic strategy for CE pharmacological treatment.

Unveiling the anti-echinococcal efficacy of amide-based compounds: An in-silico and in-vitro study

“…, is a significant global public health concern [ 1 ], especially in regions where livestock rearing is prevalent [ 2 ]. The incidence of CE ranges from 1/100,000 to 200/100,000 worldwide, posing substantial challenges to healthcare systems [ 3 ]. The fatality rate attributed to CE ranges approximately from 2 % to 4 %, although it can rise significantly under conditions of insufficient medical intervention and support.…”