title: Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase kills African trypanosomes in vitro.
abstract: The African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei is the cause of sleeping sickness in humans and Nagana in animals. Here we report that semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases (SSAOs), enzymes that are abound in T. brucei mammal hosts, eliminate trypanosomes by oxidation of its substrate in vitro. SSAO and its endogenous substrate methylamine are not toxic to T. brucei, but parasites were killed in the presence of both of them. SSAO inhibitors antagonized the SSAO-methylamine induced toxicity on T. brucei. The trypanocidal activity was mainly associated with formaldehyde generated in the SSAO mediated oxidation of methylamine. This finding suggests that SSAO may play some roles in non-specific defense of trypanosome infection in mammals.
authors.affiliation: Center for Parasitic Organisms, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Tropical Diseases Control of Ministry of Education, Zhongshan Medical College, Sun Yat-Sen (Zhongshan) University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China.
authors.forename: Qiao-Ping
authors.initials: QP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: De-Hua
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Feng-Jun
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhao-Rong
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Lun
mesh_terms: D006631:Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing) / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000969:Antinematodal Agents / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005557:Formaldehyde / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D008744:Methylamines / Q000097:blood; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000187:drug effects*; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000969:Antinematodal Agents; D008744:Methylamines; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; C027451:methylamine; D006631:Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing)