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bUpon the screening of 16 antiproliferative compounds against Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum, two hydrolytically stable ruthenium complexes (compounds 16 and 18) exhibited 50% inhibitory concentrations of 18.7 and 41.1 nM (T. gondii) and 6.7 and 11.3 nM (N. caninum). To achieve parasiticidal activity with compound 16, long-term treatment (22 to 27 days at 80 to 160 nM) was required. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated the rapid impact on and ultrastructural alterations in both parasites. These preliminary findings suggest that the potential of ruthenium-based compounds should thus be further exploited.T oxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum are cyst-forming apicomplexan parasites that infect a wide range of hosts. In an immunocompetent host, infection with either parasite does not cause disease (1-3). N. caninum has emerged as one of the most important infectious causes of bovine abortion (4-6). In contrast, T. gondii causes toxoplasmosis in humans and many animal species, either in chronically infected individuals during a decrease in immunoreactivity or if a seronegative mother acquires a primary infection during pregnancy, leading to abortion or serious fetal abnormalities (7-9). Toxoplasmosis treatment is based on only a few chemotherapeutics with considerable adverse effects (10, 11). In Neospora-seropositive cattle, pregnancy and the associated immunomodulation are already sufficient to cause recrudescence, fetal damage, and abortion (2-6). Chemotherapy has been considered a promising option if effective drugs can be identified (12, 13). Several compounds were investigated in vitro (14-16), but only a few were evaluated in small-animal models (14,(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24).We have evaluated compounds originally synthesized as anticancer drugs. Currently used metal complexes (25-31) exhibit considerable toxicity. This has stimulated the interest in other compounds with more acceptable toxicity, such as ruthenium complexes (32-36). Effects of ruthenium compounds on some bacteria and parasites have been studied (37-46). "Classical ruthenium complexes" contain heteroatom ligands (e.g., azole derivatives), and NAMI-A and KP-1019 have been evaluated in phase I clinical trials for cancer treatment (47-49). Organometallic complexes are defined by at least one metal-carbon bond. The 6 -arene ruthenium(II) phosphite complexes 5, 6, 12, and 15 to 18 were characterized earlier (50), while [Ru( 6 -p-cymene)(bipyridine)Cl][Cl] 11 was synthesized as shown previously (51). Based on our experiences in the design of selective inhibitors of CYP11B2 (53) and CYP11B1 (54), the pyridine-based compounds 4, 7 to 10, and 14 were from a small in-house library of CYP enzyme inhibitors. 2,2=-Bipyridine 3 was obtained from Joachim W. Heinicke, Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany. The cytotoxic lipophilic imidazolium salt 1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazolium chloride 3 was synthesized as described previously (54-56). The arylimidamide DB745 2 (23) was kindly provided by David Bo...

S U M M A R YRecombinant NcPDI(recNcPDI), NcROP2(recNcROP2), and NcMAG1(recNcMAG1) were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified, and evaluated as potential vaccine candidates by employing the C57Bl/6 mouse cerebral infection model. Intraperitoneal application of these proteins suspended in saponin adjuvants lead to protection against disease in 50 % and 70 % of mice vaccinated with recNcMAG1 and recNcROP2, respectively, while only 20 % of mice vaccinated with recNcPDI remained without clinical signs. In contrast, a 90 % protection rate was achieved following intra-nasal vaccination with recNcPDI emulsified in cholera toxin. Only 1 mouse vaccinated intra-nasally with recNcMAG1 survived the challenge infection, and protection achieved with intra-nasally applied recNcROP2 was at 60 %. Determination of cerebral parasite burdens by real-time PCR showed that these were significantly reduced only in recNcROP2-vaccinated animals (following intraperitoneal and intra-nasal application) and in recNcPDI-vaccinated mice (intra-nasal application only). Quantification of viable tachyzoites in brain tissue of intra-nasally vaccinated mice showed that immunization with recNcPDI resulted in significantly decreased numbers of live parasites. These data show that, besides the nature of the antigen, the protective effect of vaccination also depends largely on the route of antigen delivery. In the case of recNcPDI, the intra-nasal route provides a platform to generate a highly protective immune response.

Neospora caninum is considered to be the main cause of bovine abortion in Europe and the USA, leading to considerable financial impact. Losses are caused directly by abortions or indirectly through breeding of calves with impaired viability. Due to the lack of effective chemotherapy against bovine neosporosis, there is a need to develop new anti-protozoal compounds, which would either eliminate the parasite or avoid its transmission. In order to identify compounds of interest, the in vitro activities of 41 di-cationic pentamidine derivatives were studied employing a transgenic N. caninum clone expressing beta-galactosidase as a reporter gene. The arylimidamide DB745, previously shown to be highly active against Leishmania donovani in vitro and in vivo, appeared as the most promising compound, with an IC50 of 80 nM in 3-day growth assays and severely affecting both host cell invasion as well as intracellular proliferation. TEM of intracellular tachyzoites identified distinct alterations related to the nucleolus and the nuclear and cellular membrane. Long-term growth assays showed that DB745 acted parasiticidal upon the Nc-Liv isolate, but not against the Nc-1 isolate of N. caninum. In vivo studies in N. caninum (Nc-1 isolate) infected mice showed that daily intraperitoneal application of DB745 for a period of 14 days resulted in a decreased number of clinically affected animals, and lower cerebral parasite burdens in DB745-treated mice compared to non-treated mice. These results illustrate the potential of dicationic arylimidamides for the treatment of N. caninum infections.

Neospora caninum and neosporosis 3. Host cell adhesion/invasion by N. caninum and related apicomplexan parasites 3.1. Initial adhesion is mediated by surface antigens (SAGs) 3.2. Apical attachment is mediated by microneme proteins (MICs) 3.3. Host cell entry is achieved by formation of a moving junction composed of microneme and rhoptry components 3.4. Formation of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) is governed by rhoptry (ROPs) and dense granule (DG) proteins 3.5. Intracellular parasitism and parasite-host cell communication 4. Vaccines against Neospora caninum 4.1. Killed tachyzoite lysates / live-attenuated vaccines 4.2. Components of the host cell adhesion/invasion machinery of N. caninum and related apicomplexans represent potential vaccine targets 5. Where to go from here 6. Acknowledgements 7.References

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Simple SummaryWe review the efforts to develop a vaccine against neosporosis, caused by the apicomplexan parasite Neospora caninum. Vertical transmission is the main mode of infection, and can lead to stillbirth, abortion, or birth of weak calves. We provide information on the biology of Neospora caninum and on the disease caused by this parasite, and summarize the current understanding on how the host deals with infection. We review studies on live- and subunit-vaccines, and demonstrate advantages and setbacks in the use of small laboratory animal models in investigations on a disease with high relevance in cattle.AbstractNeosporosis, caused by the apicomplexan parasite Neospora caninum, represents one of the economically most important causes of abortion in cattle. During pregnancy, the parasite infects the placental tissue and the fetus, which can lead to stillbirth, abortion, or birth of weak calves. Alternatively, calves are born without clinical symptoms, but they can carry over the parasite to the next generation. In addition, N. caninum causes neuromuscular disease in dogs. The economic importance of neosporosis has prompted researchers to invest in the development of measures to prevent infection of cattle by vaccination. A good vaccine must stimulate protective cellular immune responses as well as antibody responses at mucosal sites and, systemically, must activate T-helper cells to produce relevant cytokines, and must elicit specific antibodies that aid in limiting parasite proliferation, e.g., by interference with host cell invasion, activation of complement, and/or opsonization of parasites to have them killed by macrophages. Different types of vaccines have been investigated, either in bovines or in the mouse model. These include live vaccines such as naturally less virulent isolates of N. caninum, attenuated strains generated by irradiation or chemical means, or genetically modified transgenic strains. Live vaccines were shown to be very effective; however, there are serious disadvantages in terms of safety, costs of production, and stability of the final product. Subunit vaccines have been intensively studied, as they would have clear advantages such as reduced costs in production, processing and storage, increased stability and shelf life. The parasite antigens involved in adhesion and invasion of host cells, such as surface constituents, microneme-, rhoptry- and dense granule-components represent interesting targets. Subunit vaccines have been applied as bacterially expressed recombinant antigens or as DNA vaccines. Besides monovalent vaccines also polyvalent combinations of different antigens have been used, providing increased protection. Vaccines have been combined with immunostimulating carriers and, more recently, chimeric vaccines, incorporating immuno-relevant domains of several antigens into a single protein, have been developed.