by Hendrickx S, Feijens P-B, Escudié F, Chatelain E, Maes L, Caljon G. ACS Infectious Diseases 2024, 10(6): 2101-2107. doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00109
Summary: The authors of this manuscript used a bioluminescent Leishmania infantum BALB/c mouse model to evaluate the parasiticidal kinetics of the reference drugs miltefosine, paromomycin, sodium stibogluconate, and liposomal amphotericin B. They monitored parasite burdens over time and found significant differences in parasiticidal kinetics for the different drugs. The parasite elimination half-life ranged from less than one day after a single intravenous dose of 0.5 mg/kg liposomal amphotericin B to about 5 days in the liver and 16 days in the bone marrow after intraperitoneal injection of paromomycin at 320 mg/kg for 5 days. Bioluminescence imaging can be used to compare the pharmacodynamics of novel drug leads and may become an essential tool for the design of potential drug combinations.
