title: Cholesterol: a potential therapeutic target in Leishmania infection?
abstract: Leishmania are obligate intracellular parasites that invade and survive within host macrophages and can result in visceral leishmaniasis, a major public health problem worldwide. The entry of intracellular parasites, in general, involves interaction with the plasma membrane of host cells. Cholesterol in host cell membranes was recently shown to be necessary for binding and internalization of Leishmania and for the efficient presentation of leishmanial antigens in infected macrophages. This article describes the need to explore cyclodextrin-based compounds, which modulate host membrane cholesterol levels, as a possible therapeutic strategy against leishmaniasis in addition to other intracellular parasites.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad 500 007, India.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Pucadyil
authors.forename: Amitabha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chattopadhyay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000378:metabolism*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000378:metabolism*; D047392:beta-Cyclodextrins / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D047392:beta-Cyclodextrins; D002784:Cholesterol