Identification of Ecdysone Hormone Receptor Agonists as a Therapeutic Approach for Treating Filarial Infections.

BACKGROUND: A homologue of the ecdysone receptor has previously been identified in human filarial parasites. As the ecdysone receptor is not found in vertebrates, it and the regulatory pathways it controls represent attractive potential chemotherapeutic targets. METHODOLOGY/ PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Administration of 20-hydroxyecdysone to gerbils infected with B. malayi infective larvae disrupted their development to adult stage parasites. A stable mammalian cell line was created incorporating the B. malayi ecdysone receptor ligand-binding domain, its heterodimer partner and a secreted luciferase reporter in HEK293 cells. This was employed to screen a series of ecdysone agonist, identifying seven agonists active at sub-micromolar concentrations. A B. malayi ecdysone receptor ligand-binding domain was developed and used to study the ligand-receptor interactions of these agonists. An excellent correlation between the virtual screening results and the screening assay was observed. Based on both of these approaches, steroidal ecdysone agonists and the diacylhydrazine family of compounds were identified as a fruitful source of potential receptor agonists. In further confirmation of the modeling and screening results, Ponasterone A and Muristerone A, two compounds predicted to be strong ecdysone agonists stimulated expulsion of microfilaria and immature stages from adult parasites. CONCLUSIONS: The studies validate the potential of the B. malayi ecdysone receptor as a drug target and provide a means to rapidly evaluate compounds for development of a new class of drugs against the human filarial parasites.

Potent activation of the human tandem pore domain K channel TRESK with clinical concentrations of volatile anesthetics.

The tandem pore domain K channel family mediates background K currents present in excitable cells. Currents passed by certain members of the family are enhanced by volatile anesthetics, thus suggesting a novel mechanism of anesthesia. The newest member of the family, termed TRESK (TWIK [tandem pore domain weak inward rectifying channel]-related spinal cord K channel), has not been studied for anesthetic sensitivity. We isolated the coding sequence for TRESK from human spinal cord RNA and functionally expressed it in Xenopus oocytes and transfected COS-7 cells. With both whole-cell voltage-clamp and patch-clamp recording, TRESK currents increased up to three-fold by clinical concentrations of isoflurane, halothane, sevoflurane, and desflurane. Nonanesthetics (nonimmobilizers) had no effect on TRESK. Various IV anesthetics, including etomidate, thiopental, and propofol, have a minimal effect on TRESK currents. Amide and ester local anesthetics inhibit TRESK in a concentration-dependent manner but at concentrations generally larger than those that inhibit other tandem pore domain K channels. We also determined that TRESK is found not only in spinal cord, but also in human brain RNA. These results identify TRESK as a target of volatile anesthetics and suggest a role for this background K channel in mediating the effects of inhaled anesthetics in the central nervous system.

Green tea inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induction in human breast cancer cells.

Investigators have shown that green tea and its main catechin epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG) may decrease the risk of cancer. Our previous study showed that green tea extract (GTE) as well as its individual catechin components inhibited MDA-MB231 breast cancer cell and human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation. Further, GTE suppressed breast cancer xenograft size and decreased the tumor vessel density in vivo. In the current study, we investigated the effect of GTE on the major angiogenic factor vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in an in vitro experiment. GTE or EGCG (40 mg/L) significantly decreased the levels of the VEGF peptide secreted into conditioned media. This occurred in both HUVEC and human breast cancer cells and the effect was dose dependent. Furthermore, GTE and EGCG decreased the RNA levels of VEGF in MDA-MB231 cells. This inhibition occurred at the transcriptional regulation level and was accompanied by a significant decrease in VEGF promoter activity. We also showed that GTE decreased c-fos and c-jun RNA transcripts, suggesting that activator protein (AP)-1-responsive regions present in the human VEGF promoter may be involved in the inhibitory effect of GTE. Furthermore, GTE suppressed the expression of protein kinase C, another VEGF transcription modulator, in breast cancer cells. Inhibition of VEGF transcription appeared to be one of the molecular mechanism(s) involved in the antiangiogenic effects of green tea, which may contribute to its potential use for breast cancer treatment and/or prevention.