title: Leishmania donovani in hamsters: stimulation of non-specific resistance by novel lipopeptides and their effect in antileishmanial therapy.
abstract: Several novel type of lipopeptides were synthesized and evaluated for their ability to stimulate non-specific resistance against Leishmania donovani infection. Peritoneal macrophages isolated from young male hamsters treated with muramyl dipeptide (MDP) and various synthetic lipopeptides (6 mg/kg i.p.) 7 days earlier, were cultured in vitro and challenged 24 h later with L. donovani promastigotes. One lipopeptide, Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) compound 86/450, exhibited significantly higher immunostimulatory activity than MDP. Its prophylactic activity was further confirmed in hamsters by giving 2 split doses of 3 mg/kg of the compound spaced at 2 weeks, i.e. on day -7 and +7 of challenge with L. donovani amastigotes. The prophylactic effect lasted for 7 days following the last treatment with compound 86/450. The antileishmanial action of sodium stibogluconate (SAG) was also found to be enhanced by 16% in hamsters primed with compound 86/450.
authors.affiliation: Division of Parasitology, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zehra
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pal
authors.lastname: Anuradha
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Rizvi
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Haq
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kundu
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Katiyar
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Mathur
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D009842:Oligopeptides