Taurine potentiates artemisinin efficacy against malaria by modulating the immune response in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice
Abstract Background Artemisinin (ART) is a frontline drug for the treatment of malaria; however, the emergence of ART-resistant Plasmodium strains necessitates increasing ART sensitivity. Given that taurine (TAU) has been shown to have immunomodulatory activity, we investigated the effects of TAU as...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2024-11-01
|
| Series: | Parasites & Vectors |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-024-06585-y |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1846148015051505664 |
|---|---|
| author | Xin Li Ning Jiang Qilong Li Kexin Zheng Yiwei Zhang Xiaoyu Sang Ying Feng Ran Chen Qijun Chen |
| author_facet | Xin Li Ning Jiang Qilong Li Kexin Zheng Yiwei Zhang Xiaoyu Sang Ying Feng Ran Chen Qijun Chen |
| author_sort | Xin Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Artemisinin (ART) is a frontline drug for the treatment of malaria; however, the emergence of ART-resistant Plasmodium strains necessitates increasing ART sensitivity. Given that taurine (TAU) has been shown to have immunomodulatory activity, we investigated the effects of TAU as an adjunct therapy to ART in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Methods Mice infected with P. berghei ANKA strain (P. berghei ANKA) were treated with TAU alone, ART alone or a combination of TAU and ART (TAU + ART), and their survival time and parasitaemia were recorded. The cytotoxic effects of TAU and ART were subsequently assessed. The expression levels of inflammasome-related genes and inflammatory factors in mice infected with P. berghei ANKA were analysed in relation to those in mice treated with TAU alone, ART alone or the TAU + ART combination. The therapeutic effects were further evaluated by histological analysis and measurement of the spleen index. Results Compared with the control mice, P. berghei ANKA-infected mice treated with ART in combination with TAU presented significantly lower parasitaemia and prolonged survival. The combined treatment resulted in significant reductions in the expression levels of inflammasome-related genes in the spleen, including absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), caspase-1, NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (Nlrp3), Nlrp1b, Nlrp1b, NLR family CARD domain containing 4 (Nlrc4), Nlrp6, nucleotide binding oligomerization domain containing 1 (NOD1) and NOD2, and decreases in the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the serum, including interleukin (IL)-12p70, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, IL-10 and IL-6. Histopathological analysis confirmed that TAU + ART combination treatment reduced spleen pathology caused by P. berghei ANKA infection. Conclusions The findings indicate that TAU potentiates ART efficacy by modulating the immune response in P. berghei-infected mice. Graphical Abstract |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-23ccdb2afdd14f38a22db1f46fe8e1ae |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1756-3305 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Parasites & Vectors |
| spelling | doaj-art-23ccdb2afdd14f38a22db1f46fe8e1ae2024-12-01T12:12:16ZengBMCParasites & Vectors1756-33052024-11-0117111110.1186/s13071-024-06585-yTaurine potentiates artemisinin efficacy against malaria by modulating the immune response in Plasmodium berghei-infected miceXin Li0Ning Jiang1Qilong Li2Kexin Zheng3Yiwei Zhang4Xiaoyu Sang5Ying Feng6Ran Chen7Qijun Chen8Key Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityKey Laboratory of Livestock Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, and Key Laboratory of Ruminant Infectious Disease Prevention and Control (East), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural UniversityAbstract Background Artemisinin (ART) is a frontline drug for the treatment of malaria; however, the emergence of ART-resistant Plasmodium strains necessitates increasing ART sensitivity. Given that taurine (TAU) has been shown to have immunomodulatory activity, we investigated the effects of TAU as an adjunct therapy to ART in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Methods Mice infected with P. berghei ANKA strain (P. berghei ANKA) were treated with TAU alone, ART alone or a combination of TAU and ART (TAU + ART), and their survival time and parasitaemia were recorded. The cytotoxic effects of TAU and ART were subsequently assessed. The expression levels of inflammasome-related genes and inflammatory factors in mice infected with P. berghei ANKA were analysed in relation to those in mice treated with TAU alone, ART alone or the TAU + ART combination. The therapeutic effects were further evaluated by histological analysis and measurement of the spleen index. Results Compared with the control mice, P. berghei ANKA-infected mice treated with ART in combination with TAU presented significantly lower parasitaemia and prolonged survival. The combined treatment resulted in significant reductions in the expression levels of inflammasome-related genes in the spleen, including absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), caspase-1, NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (Nlrp3), Nlrp1b, Nlrp1b, NLR family CARD domain containing 4 (Nlrc4), Nlrp6, nucleotide binding oligomerization domain containing 1 (NOD1) and NOD2, and decreases in the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the serum, including interleukin (IL)-12p70, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, IL-10 and IL-6. Histopathological analysis confirmed that TAU + ART combination treatment reduced spleen pathology caused by P. berghei ANKA infection. Conclusions The findings indicate that TAU potentiates ART efficacy by modulating the immune response in P. berghei-infected mice. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-024-06585-yTaurineArtemisininSuppress inflammationMalariaPlasmodium |
| spellingShingle | Xin Li Ning Jiang Qilong Li Kexin Zheng Yiwei Zhang Xiaoyu Sang Ying Feng Ran Chen Qijun Chen Taurine potentiates artemisinin efficacy against malaria by modulating the immune response in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice Parasites & Vectors Taurine Artemisinin Suppress inflammation Malaria Plasmodium |
| title | Taurine potentiates artemisinin efficacy against malaria by modulating the immune response in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice |
| title_full | Taurine potentiates artemisinin efficacy against malaria by modulating the immune response in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice |
| title_fullStr | Taurine potentiates artemisinin efficacy against malaria by modulating the immune response in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Taurine potentiates artemisinin efficacy against malaria by modulating the immune response in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice |
| title_short | Taurine potentiates artemisinin efficacy against malaria by modulating the immune response in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice |
| title_sort | taurine potentiates artemisinin efficacy against malaria by modulating the immune response in plasmodium berghei infected mice |
| topic | Taurine Artemisinin Suppress inflammation Malaria Plasmodium |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-024-06585-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xinli taurinepotentiatesartemisininefficacyagainstmalariabymodulatingtheimmuneresponseinplasmodiumbergheiinfectedmice AT ningjiang taurinepotentiatesartemisininefficacyagainstmalariabymodulatingtheimmuneresponseinplasmodiumbergheiinfectedmice AT qilongli taurinepotentiatesartemisininefficacyagainstmalariabymodulatingtheimmuneresponseinplasmodiumbergheiinfectedmice AT kexinzheng taurinepotentiatesartemisininefficacyagainstmalariabymodulatingtheimmuneresponseinplasmodiumbergheiinfectedmice AT yiweizhang taurinepotentiatesartemisininefficacyagainstmalariabymodulatingtheimmuneresponseinplasmodiumbergheiinfectedmice AT xiaoyusang taurinepotentiatesartemisininefficacyagainstmalariabymodulatingtheimmuneresponseinplasmodiumbergheiinfectedmice AT yingfeng taurinepotentiatesartemisininefficacyagainstmalariabymodulatingtheimmuneresponseinplasmodiumbergheiinfectedmice AT ranchen taurinepotentiatesartemisininefficacyagainstmalariabymodulatingtheimmuneresponseinplasmodiumbergheiinfectedmice AT qijunchen taurinepotentiatesartemisininefficacyagainstmalariabymodulatingtheimmuneresponseinplasmodiumbergheiinfectedmice |