title: In vitro activities of lytic peptides against the sporozoites of Cryptosporidium parvum.
abstract: Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan parasite that causes mild to severe diarrheal disease in animals and humans. There are currently no effective chemotherapeutic agents available for the treatment of cryptosporidiosis. Recent studies have described small, naturally occurring antimicrobial lytic peptides with antiprotozoal activities. In the present study, the anticryptosporidial activities of three synthetic lytic peptides were determined in an in vitro sporozoite susceptibility assay. Sporozoite viability was assessed microscopically by the uptake of the vital dyes fluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide. Sporozoite viability was reduced by 93.5% following a 60-min exposure to 10 microM Hecate-1 at 37 degrees C. Shiva-10 reduced sporozoite viability by approximately 74.0% after a 60-min exposure at 100 microM and 37 degrees C. The cecropin-b analog SB-37 reduced sporozoite viability by 6.0% following a 60-min exposure at 100 microM and 37 degrees C. A control peptide showed no anticryptosporidial activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan 84322-5600.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Arrowood
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jaynes
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Healey
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000187:drug effects*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides