title: N-Chlorotaurine shows high in vitro activity against promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania species.
abstract: Protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania are the causative agents of life-threatening visceral as well as cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. First-line drugs are antimonials, but toxicity and resistance in some endemic areas cause serious problems. In the current study, the antileishmanial activity of the weak oxidant N-chlorotaurine (NCT) was investigated. NCT is a derivative of the amino acid taurine produced by granulocytes and monocytes during oxidative burst, but can also be synthesized chemically and used topically as an antiseptic at a concentration of 1 % (55 mM) in vivo. NCT susceptibility tests were performed in vitro with promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania infantum and Leishmania donovani. As NH(4)Cl is known to increase the activity of NCT by the formation of monochloramine (NH(2)Cl), co-treatment assays were included in the study. Mean EC(50) values after 1 h of treatment were 5.94 mM for L. infantum and 9.8 mM for L. donovani promastigotes. Co-treatment with 5.5 mM NCT plus 19 mM NH(4)Cl led to complete killing of promastigotes of both strains within 15 min. Amastigotes were inactivated by treatment with 2 mM NCT alone. The results of this study indicate a high potential of NCT against Leishmania species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology, Clinical Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1095 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fürnkranz
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Microbiology and Social Medicine, Division of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Innsbruck Medical University, Fritz-Pregl-Strasse 3, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagl
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Microbiology and Social Medicine, Division of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Innsbruck Medical University, Fritz-Pregl-Strasse 3, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gottardi
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (CeMM), Vienna, Austria.|Department of Medicine I, Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Matt
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology, Clinical Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1095 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Aspöck
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Parasitology, Clinical Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1095 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walochnik
mesh_terms: D000643:Ammonium Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007891:Leishmania / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D008264:Macrophages / Q000469:parasitology; D009000:Monocytes / Q000469:parasitology; D021261:Parasitic Sensitivity Tests; D013654:Taurine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D000643:Ammonium Chloride; D013654:Taurine; C043410:N-chlorotaurine