<i>In Vitro</i> Evaluation Reveals Effect and Mechanism of Artemether against <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>
Qiong Xu,
Yin-Yan Duan,
Ming Pan,
Qi-Wang Jin,
Jian-Ping Tao,
Si-Yang Huang
Affiliations
Qiong Xu
Institute of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou 225009, China
Yin-Yan Duan
Institute of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou 225009, China
Ming Pan
Institute of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou 225009, China
Qi-Wang Jin
Institute of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou 225009, China
Jian-Ping Tao
Institute of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou 225009, China
Si-Yang Huang
Institute of Comparative Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Yangzhou 225009, China
Due to the limited effectiveness of existing drugs for the treatment of toxoplasmosis, there is a dire need for the discovery of new therapeutic options. Artemether is an important drug for malaria and several studies have indicated that it also exhibits anti-T. gondii activity. However, its specific effect and mechanisms are still not clear. To elucidate its specific role and potential mechanism, we first evaluated its cytotoxicity and anti-Toxoplasma effect on human foreskin fibroblast cells, and then analyzed its inhibitory activity during T. gondii invasion and intracellular proliferation. Finally, we examined its effect on mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in T. gondii. The CC50 value of artemether was found to be 866.4 μM, and IC50 was 9.035 μM. It exhibited anti-T. gondii activity and inhibited the growth of T. gondii in a dose-dependent manner. We also found that the inhibition occurred primarily in intracellular proliferation, achieved by reducing the mitochondrial membrane integrity of T. gondii and stimulating ROS production. These findings suggest that the mechanism of artemether against T. gondii is related to a change in the mitochondrial membrane and the increase in ROS production, which may provide a theoretical basis for optimizing artemether derivatives and further improving their anti-Toxoplasma efficacy.
