2. Academic Validation
  3. Unrevealing the therapeutic potential of artesunate against emerging zoonotic Babesia microti infection in the murine model

Unrevealing the therapeutic potential of artesunate against emerging zoonotic Babesia microti infection in the murine model

  • Front Vet Sci. 2024 May 9:11:1383291. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1383291.
Saqib Ali Fazilani 1 2,  Wei An 3,  Sihong Li 4,  Mohammad Farooque Hassan 5,  Muhammad Ishfaq 6,  Shakeel Ahmed Lakho 7,  Muhammad Farooque 8,  Muhammad Shoaib 9,  Xiuying Zhang 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Pharmaceutical Development. Faculty of Basic Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
  • 2 Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Biosciences, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sakrand, Pakistan.
  • 3 Technical Centre of Chengdu Customs, Chengdu, China.
  • 4 College of Animal Science and Technology and College of Veterinary Medicine of Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China.
  • 5 Department of Veterinary Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sakrand, Pakistan.
  • 6 Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang, China.
  • 7 Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Sakrand, Pakistan.
  • 8 Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Ziauddin University Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan.
  • 9 Key Laboratory of New Animal Drug Project, Gansu Province/Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pharmaceutical Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Lanzhou, China.
PMID: 38784653 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1383291
Abstract

Babesiosis, a zoonotic blood protozoal disease, threatens humans and Animals and is difficult to treat due to growing antimicrobial resistance. The study aimed to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of artesunate (AS), a well-known derivative of artemisinin, against Babesia microti (B. microti) using a murine Infection model. Male BALB/c mice (6 weeks old; 15 per group) were chosen and randomly divided into 1) the control group, 2) the B. microti group, and 3) the B. microti + artesunate treatment groups. AS treatment at 2 mg/kg, 4 mg/kg, and 8 mg/kg of body weight significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the B. microti load in blood smears in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, AS treatment mitigated the decrease in body weight and restored the normal state of the liver and spleen viscera index compared to the B. microti-infected group after 28 days. Hematological analysis revealed significant increases in RBC, WBC, and PLT counts post-AS treatment compared to the B. microti-infected group. Furthermore, AS administration resulted in significant reductions in total protein, bilirubin, ALT, AST, and ALP levels, along with reduced liver and spleen inflammation and lesions as observed through histopathological analysis. AS also elicited dose-dependent changes in mRNA and protein expression levels of apoptotic, proinflammatory, and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the liver compared to the control and B. microti-infected groups. Immunolabeling revealed decreased expression of apoptotic and inflammation-related proteins in AS-treated hepatic cytoplasm compared to the B. microti-infected group. AS also in dose-dependent manner decreased apoptotic protein and increased Bcl-2. Overall, these findings underscore the potential of AS as an Anti-parasitic candidate in combating B. microti pathogenesis in an in vivo Infection model, suggesting its promise for clinical trials as a treatment for babesiosis.

Keywords

apoptosis; artesunate; babesiosis; blood-borne pathogen; histopathology; immune response; inflammation.

Figures
Products
Inhibitors & Agonists
Other Products
嗨！很高兴为您提供帮助！

尊敬的 MCE 客户您好，
请您选择所在区域，我们将转接对应客服为您服务！

热门区域

A

B

C

F

G

H

J

L

N

Q

S

T

X

Y

Z

热 A B C F G H J L N Q S T X Y Z