title: In vitro effect on Cryptosporidium parvum of short-term exposure to cathelicidin peptides.
abstract: Two laboratory methods, a cell culture system and double fluorogenic staining, were used to study the viability and infective ability of Cryptosporidium parvum sporozoites and oocysts after short-term exposure to four cathelicidin peptides. The compounds, SMAP-29, BMAP-28, PG-1 and Bac7(1-35), exerted a strong cytotoxic effect on sporozoites, but did not affect the viability and function of oocysts consistently. Overall, in the sporozoite series, a percentage of the viable population decreased rapidly to less than detectable levels after 15 and 60 min exposure to the peptides at concentrations of 100 and 10 micro g/mL, respectively. In the oocyst series, no compound produced complete inhibition of parasite growth: 60-85% of the oocyst population was viable after 180 min exposure at 100 micro g/mL. SMAP-29 exerted the highest activity against both sporozoites and oocysts.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, University of Ancona, Italy. anconacmi@interfree.it
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giacometti
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cirioni
authors.forename: Maria Simona
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Del Prete
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Skerlavaj
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Circo
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zanetti
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scalise
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000469:parasitology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054804:Cathelicidins; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016785:Cryptosporidium parvum / Q000187:drug effects*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D054804:Cathelicidins; D010455:Peptides