Cell death offers exceptional cellular and molecular windows for pharmacological interventions in protozoan parasites

Abstract

The rich repertoire of cell death events is a crucial biological process that deserves extensive review at a formative time for the development of our knowledge concerning the state-of-the-art data on their cellular and molecular mechanisms of action and the ways in which they can be manipulated in and by protozoan parasites. We have attempted to provide a comprehensive overview to reveal intervention points that could be exploited to discover novel therapies, vaccine strategies and prophylactic intervention points for protozoan parasites, and to understand the parasitic disease progression and the infection consequence.

The Influence of Selected Gastrointestinal Parasites on Apoptosis in Intestinal Epithelial Cells

“…It was demonstrated that the cytotoxicity of E. histolytica also depends on effector proteins, which include amoeba pores and proteases responsible for the parasite invasion and apoptosis of the host's cell. Moreover, it is believed that these proteins are responsible for the direct activation of caspase-3 [91]. Similar results were obtained by Huston et al (2001) in infected mice -C3H/HeJ E. histolytica.…”

Hymenolepis diminuta Infection Affects Apoptosis in the Small and Large Intestine

“…The cytotoxicity of E. histolytica has also been shown to depend on effector proteins, which include amoebapore and proteases responsible for parasite invasion and host cell apoptosis. In addition, these proteins are thought to be responsible for the direct activation of caspase-3 [ 46 ].…”