Echinococcus granulosus tegumental enzymes as in vitro markers of pharmacological damage: A biochemical and molecular approach

ANDREA C. CUMINO; MARÍA CELESTE NICOLAO; JULIA A. LOOS; GUILLERMO M. DENEGRI; M. CELINA ELISSONDO

PARASITOLOGY INTERNATIONAL

ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2012 vol. 61 p. 579 - 585

1383-5769

Cystic echinococcosis is a chronic, complex, and neglected disease. Novel therapeutical tools are needed to optimize human treatment. A number of compounds have been investigated, either using in vitro cultured parasites and/or applying in vivo rodent models. Although some of these compounds showed promising activities in vitro, and to some extent also in the rodent models, they have not been translated into clinical applications.Membrane enzyme activities in culture supernatants of treated protoscoleces with calciummodulator drugs and anthelmintic drugswere measured and provided an indication of compound efficacy. This work describes for the first time the detection of alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase and acetylcholinesterase activities in supernatants of in vitro treated Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces. Marked differences on the enzymatic activities in supernatants fromdrug treated cultures were detected. We demonstrated that those genes that showthe highest degree of conservation when compared to orthologs, are constitutively and highly expressed in protoscoleces andmetacestodes. Due to high sensibility and the lack of activity in supernatants of intact protoscoleces, gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase is proposed as the ideal viability marker during in vitro pharmacological studies against E. granulosus protoscoleces.