%0 Journal Article
%A Martín-Escolano, Rubén
%A Cebrián, Rubén
%A Martín-Escolano, Javier
%A Rosales, Maria J
%A Maqueda, Mercedes
%A Sánchez-Moreno, Manuel
%A Marín, Clotilde
%T Insights into Chagas treatment based on the potential of bacteriocin AS-48.
%D 2019
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10668/13794
%X Chagas disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi represents a significant public health problem in Latin America, affecting around 8 million cases worldwide. Nowadays is urgent the identification of new antichagasic agents as the only therapeutic options available, Nifurtimox and Benznidazole, are in use for >40 years, and present high toxicity, limited efficacy and frequent treatment failures in the chronic phase of the disease. Recently, it has been described the antiparasitic effect of AS-48, a bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus faecalis, against Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania spp. In this work, we have demonstrated the in vitro potential of the AS-48 bacteriocin against T. cruzi. Interesting, AS-48 was more effective against the three morphological forms of different T. cruzi strains, and displayed lower cytotoxicity than the reference drug Benznidazole. In addition, AS-48 combines the criteria established as a potential antichagasic agent, resulting in a promising therapeutic alternative. According to the action mechanism, AS-48 trypanocidal activity could be explained in a mitochondrion-dependent manner through a reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial depolarization, causing a fast and severe bioenergetic collapse.
%K AS-48
%K Antichagasic agent
%K Bacteriocin
%K Drug discovery
%K Trypanosoma cruzi
%~