Estudos in vitro, in vivo e in silico da atividade de derivados aminoquinolínicos em espécies de Leishmania relacionadas à Leishmaniose tegumentar americana

Abstract

Leishmaniasis represents a major global public health problem with serious limitations in current chemotherapy, such as limited number of drugs, low efficacy, high cost, increasing parasitic resistance and toxicity. The objective of the present study was to evaluate a series of ten 4-aminoquinolines derivatives (AMQs) on Leishmania species related to tegumentary leishmaniasis. It was also evaluated the possible mechanisms of action of a compound with promising leishmanicidal activity, identifying the target organelles and the type of death triggered in the parasite, as well as to its leishmanicidal effect in vivo. Among the evaluated compounds, the AMQ-j derivative was the most active, with expressive activity on L. amazonensis and L. braziliensis (IC50 less than 6.0 μg/mL and 2.5 μg/mL against intracellular promastigotes and amastigotes, respectively) for both evaluated species. Furthermore, AMQ-j showed low toxicity for murine macrophages (CC50> 40.0 μg/mL) being more destructive to the intracellular parasites (selectivity index > 12.0). Preliminary studies about the mode of action showed that AMQ-j compound induced marked effects on the parasite mitochondria, characterized by mitochondrial membrane potential collapse (ΔΨm), organelle swelling, increased of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production and lipidic bodies accumulation in the cytoplasm. The treatment with AMQ-j induced in the promastigote forms a series of biochemical and cellular alterations which suggest apoptosis-like death, including reduction of cellular volume, phosphatidylserine exposure on the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane, maintenance of plasma membrane integrity and drastic changes in the cell nucleus evidenced by chromatin disorganization and DNA fragmentation. The effect of AMQ-j in promastigote forms is also associated with the induction of death by autophagy evidenced by the increase of autophagic vacuoles, presence of multivesicular bodies inside vacuoles, cytoplasmic vesicles and accumulation of acidic compartments in the promastigote cytoplasm. The compound also induced DNA fragmentation of intracellular amastigotes selectively, without inducing host cell fragmentation. In silico studies suggest that this compound is a potential inhibitor of key redox enzyme trypanothione reductase (TryR). In vivo studies in murine infection model of L. amazonensis demonstrated the efficacy of AMQ-j by the intralesional route, reducing lesion size and parasite load, without induction of hepatic, cardiac and renal toxicity. The in silico prediction studies on pharmacokinetic properties (ADMET) and physico-chemical characteristics (Lipinsky's rule) suggest that AMQ-j can be used orally. Taken together, the results suggest that the leishmanicidal effect of the compound is associated with multiple targets and triggers parasite death through different pathways, including apoptosis and autophagy. The in vivo effect indicates that studies with this compound should be continued in order to better establish its leishmanicidal effect.