title: Evaluation of anti-prion activity of congo red and its derivatives in experimentally infected hamsters.
abstract: Among transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), particularly dreadful are the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), because of its epidemic character, and the new variant of Creutzfeldt-lakob disease (vCJD) in man, possibly related to BSE prion, through the intake of infected food. To treat TSE, many potentially therapeutic agents have been tested: some of them, among which is Congo Red (CAS 573-58-0, CR), delayed the onset of symptoms in scrapie-infected rodents, and some CR derivatives proved to be effective in vitro. The capacity of a synthesized CR derivative (CR-A) and of the aromatic central benzidine rings of CR (CR-B) to abrogate scrapie-induced disease in experimentally infected hamsters was assayed. CR, used as reference substance, administered i.c. after pre-incubation with the scrapie inoculum, was strongly effective in slowing the progression of the infection, while both CR-A and CR-B, administered alone or together, were not effective. Both CR-A and CR, when administered by subcutaneous route in i.c. scrapie-infected animals. prolonged the survival time in comparison to controls; CR-B was not effective. Moreover, both CR and CR-A were very effective in prolonging the survival time of i.p. scrapie-infected hamsters. The hypothesis of possible different mechanisms of interaction between CR or CR-A and the scrapie agent related to the chemical structures of the molecules is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Patologia Animale, Igiene e Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Milano, Milan, Italy. giorgio.poli@unimi.it
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Poli
authors.forename: Piera Anna
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carcassola
authors.forename: Maria Laura
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Giannino
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dall'Ara
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pollera
authors.forename: Selina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iussich
authors.forename: Vito M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Tranquillo
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bareggi
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mantegazza
authors.forename: Wilma
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ponti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003224:Congo Red / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006224:Cricetinae; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007267:Injections; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008647:Mesocricetus; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012608:Scrapie / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D003224:Congo Red