Parenteral administration of amphotericin
B-deoxycholate (AmB-DOC)
or pentavalent antimonials to cure cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) results
in severe adverse reactions, while topically applied antileishmanial
drugs are ineffective despite their good tolerance. This work is aimed
to investigate whether poly(isobutylcyanoacrylate) nanoparticles coated
with chitosan (Cs-NPs) could provide intrinsic antileishmanial activity
after topical application. In vitro evaluations revealed
that nanoparticles were active against the promastigote, axenic amastigote,
and intramacrophage forms of Leishmania major. In vivo evaluations after repetitive topical applications
on the skin of mice infected with L. major showed
that Cs-NPs combined or not with AmB-DOC allowed partial healing of
the lesion characterized by histological analyses. The parasitic load
of skin specimens collected from mice was significantly reduced compared
with that from nontreated mice, as analyzed by quantitative polymerase
chain reaction (q-PCR). Ultrastructure characterizations by electron
microscopy of L. major promastigotes after incubation
with Cs-NPs showed morphological alterations, including aberrant shape
and swelling of mitochondria and parasitic vacuoles.
Trichomonas vaginalis motility in biological
fluids plays a prominent, but understudied, role in parasite infectivity.
In this study, the ability of a thermosensitive hydrogel (pluronic
F127) to physically immobilize T. vaginalis was investigated.
Blocking parasite motility could prevent its attachment to the mucosa,
thus reducing the acquisition of the infection. The trajectory of
individual parasites was monitored by multiple particle tracking.
Mean square displacement, diffusivity, and velocity were calculated
from x, y coordinates during time.
Major results are that T. vaginalis exhibited different
types of trajectories in a diluted solution composed of lactate buffer
similar to “run-and-tumble” motion reported for flagellated
bacteria. The fastest T. vaginalis specimen moves
with a velocity of 19 μm/s. Observation of T. vaginalis movements showed that the cell body remains rigid during swimming
and that the propulsive forces necessary to generate the movement
are the result of flagellar beating. Parasite motility was partially
slowed down using hydroxyethylcellulose hydrogel, used as a reference
for the development of vaginal microbicides, while 100% of T. vaginalis were immobile in F127 hydrogel. Once completed
by biological investigations on mice, this report suggests using drug-free
formulation composed of F127 as a new strategy to prevent T. vaginalis attachment to the mucosa. The concept will
be extended to other flagellated organisms where the motility is driven
by cilia and flagella.
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