Curcumin nanoemulsion as a novel chemical for the treatment of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in mice. International journal of nanomedicine BACKGROUND:The aim of this study was to prepare curcumin nanoemulsion (CR-NE) to solve the problems associated with poor water solubility and low bioavailability of CR and to test its efficiency in the treatment of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in mouse models. MATERIALS AND METHODS:CR-NE 1% was prepared using spontaneous emulsification by soybean as oil phase; a mixture of Tween 80 and Tween 85 as surfactant; ethanol as cosurfactant and distilled water. Particle size and zeta potential of NE were assessed using Nano-ZS90 dynamic light scattering. Stability testing of NE was assessed after storage for 2 months at room temperature. In vivo experiments were carried out using 50 BALB/c mice inoculated with virulent RH strain (type I) and 50 BALB/c mice inoculated with avirulent Tehran strain (type II) of and treated with CR-NE (1% w/v), CR suspension (CR-S, 1% w/v), and NE without CR (NE-no CR). RESULTS:The mean particle size and zeta potential of CR-NE included 215.66±16.8 nm and -29.46±2.65 mV, respectively, and were stable in particle size after a three freeze-thaw cycle. In acute phase experiment, the survival time of mice infected with RH strain of and treated with CR-NE extended from 8 to 10 days postinoculation. The differences were statistically significant between the survival time of mice in CR-NE-treated group compared with negative control group (<0.001). Furthermore, CR-NE significantly decreased the mean counts of peritoneum tachyzoites from 5,962.5±666 in negative control group to 627.5±73 in CR-NE-treated mice (<0.001). Growth inhibition rates of tachyzoites in peritoneum of mice receiving CR-NE, CR-S, and NE-no CR included 90%, 21%, and 11%, respectively, compared with negative control group. In chronic phase experiment, the average number and size of tissue cysts significantly decreased to 17.2±15.6 and 31.5±6.26 µm, respectively, in mice inoculated with bradyzoites of Tehran strain and treated with CR-NE compared with that in negative control group (<0.001). Decrease of cyst numbers was verified by downregulation of BAG1 in treatment groups compared with negative control group with a minimum relative expression in CR-NE (1.12±0.28), CR-S (11.76±0.87), and NE-no CR (14.67±0.77), respectively, (<0.001). CONCLUSION:Results from the current study showed the potential of CR-S and CR-NE in treatment of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in mouse models for the first time. However, CR-NE was more efficient than CR-S, and it seems that CR-NE has a potential formula for the treatment of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis, especially in those with latent bradyzoites in brain. 10.2147/IJN.S181896

Direct and Indirect Inhibition Effects of Resveratrol against Tachyzoites . Chen Qi-Wei,Dong Kai,Qin Han-Xiao,Yang Yi-Kai,He Jin-Lei,Li Jiao,Zheng Zhi-Wan,Chen Da-Li,Chen Jian-Ping Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy is one of the most widespread obligatory parasitic protozoa and infects nearly all warm-blooded animals, leading to toxoplasmosis. The therapeutic drugs currently administered, like the combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine, show high rates of toxic side effects, and drug resistance is encountered in some cases. Resveratrol is a natural plant extract with multiple functions, such as antibacterial, anticancer, and antiparasite activities. In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of resveratrol on tachyzoites of the RH strain extracellularly and intracellularly. We demonstrate that resveratrol possesses direct antitoxoplasma activity by reducing the population of extracellularly grown tachyzoites, probably by disturbing the redox homeostasis of the parasites. Moreover, resveratrol was also able to release the burden of cellular stress, promote apoptosis, and maintain the autophagic status of macrophages, which turned out to be regulated by intracellular parasites, thereby functioning indirectly in eliminating In conclusion, resveratrol has both direct and indirect antitoxoplasma effects against RH tachyzoites and may possess the potential to be further evaluated and employed for toxoplasmosis treatment. 10.1128/AAC.01233-18

Anti-Toxoplasma activity of Sorghum bicolor-derived lipophilic fractions. Abugri Daniel A,Jaynes Jesse M,Witola William H BMC research notes OBJECTIVE:Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular zoonotic parasite, infects approximately a third of the world population. Current drugs for treatment of T. gondii infection have been challenged with ineffectiveness and adverse side effects. This necessitates development of new anti-Toxoplasma drugs. Sorghum bicolor [Moench] leaf extract has been used in African traditional medicine for the management of anemia and treatment of infectious diseases. We tested the in vitro anti-Toxoplasma inhibitory activity of S. bicolor's oil-like crude extracts and fractions against T. gondii and determined their cytotoxic effects on human host cells. RESULTS:Significant inhibitory activities against the growth of T. gondii tachyzoites were observed for the crude extract (IC = 3.65 µg/mL), the hexane-methanol fraction (IC = 2.74 µg/mL), and the hexane fraction (IC50 = 3.55 µg/mL) after 48 h of culture. The minimum cytotoxicity concentrations against HFF were 34.41, 16.92 and 7.23 µg/mL for crude extract, hexane-methanol and hexane fractions, respectively. The crude extract and fractions showed high antiparasitic effects with low cytotoxic effects. Further studies to determine synergistic activities and modes of action would provide impetus for the development of new toxoplasmosis drugs or nutraceuticals. 10.1186/s13104-019-4732-z