Advances and perspectives in Leishmania cell based drug-screening procedures

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2007

Authors

D. Sereno (Author) Other; A. Cordeiro da Silva (Author) FFUP; F. Mathieu-Daude (Author) Other; A. Ouaissi (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Parasitology International

Vol. 56 No. 1

Pages: 3-7

ISSN: 1383-5769

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Science

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Other medical sciences

CORDIS: Health sciences

Other information

Resumo (PT): Efforts for the development of new therapeutics, essential for the control of leishmaniasis rely mainly on screening of potentially effective compounds in pathogen growth/multiplication assays, both in vitro and in vivo. Screenings designed to closely reflect the situation in vivo are currently labor-intensive and expensive, since they require intracellular amastigotes and animal models. Screenings designed to facilitate rapid testing of a large number of drugs are not performed on the clinically relevant parasite stage, but the promastigotes. The ability to select transgenic Leishmania expressing reporter proteins, such as the green fluorescent protein (GFP) or the luciferase, opened up new possibilities for the development of drug screening tests. In this review we will focus on available methodologies for direct drug screening purposes against the mammalian stage of the parasite, with emphasis on the future developments that could improve sensitivity, reliability, versatility and the throughput of the intracellular model screening. <br> <br> Keywords: Leishmania; Drug screening; Amastigote <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TB7-4M7KB4C-1&_user=2460038&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2007&_rdoc=3&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%235135%232007%23999439998%23644757%23FLA%23display%23Volume)&_cdi=5135&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=15&_acct=C000057398&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=2460038&md5=0ed240b425f379f444a6a385ae9c042e"> texto integral</a> <br> <br>

Abstract (EN): Efforts for the development of new therapeutics, essential for the control of leishmaniasis rely mainly on screening of potentially effective compounds in pathogen growth/multiplication assays, both in vitro and in vivo. Screenings designed to closely reflect the situation in vivo are currently labor-intensive and expensive, since they require intracellular amastigotes and animal models. Screenings designed to facilitate rapid testing of a large number of drugs are not performed on the clinically relevant parasite stage, but the promastigotes. The ability to select transgenic Leishmania expressing reporter proteins, such as the green fluorescent protein (GFP) or the luciferase, opened up new possibilities for the development of drug screening tests. In this review we will focus on available methodologies for direct drug screening purposes against the mammalian stage of the parasite, with emphasis on the future developments that could improve sensitivity, reliability, versatility and the throughput of the intracellular model screening. <br> <br> Keywords: Leishmania; Drug screening; Amastigote <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TB7-4M7KB4C-1&_user=2460038&_coverDate=03%2F31%2F2007&_rdoc=3&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%235135%232007%23999439998%23644757%23FLA%23display%23Volume)&_cdi=5135&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=15&_acct=C000057398&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=2460038&md5=0ed240b425f379f444a6a385ae9c042e"> Full text</a> <br> <br>

Language: Portuguese

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific