Open AccessItraconazole affects Toxoplasma gondii endodyogeny
Author(s) -
MartinsDuarte Érica Dos Santos,
De Souza Wanderley,
Vommaro Rossiane Claudia
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2008.01130.x
Subject(s) - itraconazole , toxoplasma gondii , endoplasmic reticulum , intracellular , cell division , chemistry , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , cell , biochemistry , immunology , antifungal , antibody
The antifungal agent itraconazole is an effective drug against systemic mycoses inhibiting cytochrome P‐450‐mediated ergosterol synthesis, essential for fungal survival. In this work, we show the activity of this azole as a potential agent against Toxoplasma gondii , the causative agent of toxoplasmosis. Monolayers of LLC‐MK2 epithelial cells infected with tachyzoites of RH strain were incubated with different concentrations of itraconazole for 24 and 48 h. The IC 50 values obtained were 114.0 and 53.6 nM for 24 and 48 h, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of itraconazole‐treated intracellular tachyzoites showed endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear envelope swelling. The drug also caused rupture of the parasite's surface membrane and affected the parasite's division by endodyogeny. This observation was confirmed both by fluorescence microscopy of cells labeled with diamidino‐2‐phenylindole and by three‐dimensional reconstruction of serial thin sections analyzed by TEM. The treatment with itraconazole led to the formation of a mass of daughter cells, suggesting the interruption of the scission process during the parasite's cell division.