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Using a high-throughput screen for drugs developed by the researchteam, they discovered that auranofin -- a drug approved by the USFood and Drug Administration 25 years ago for rheumatoid arthritis-- is very effective in targeting an enzyme that protects amebaefrom oxygen attack (thus enhancing sensitivity of the amebae toreactive oxygen-mediated killing). The results of the work, led by Sharon L. Reed, MD, professor inthe UCSD Departments of Pathology and Medicine and James McKerrow,MD, PhD, professor of Pathology in the UCSF Sandler Center for DrugDiscovery, will be published in the May 20, 2012 issue of Nature Medicine . Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan intestinal parasite that causes human amebiasis,the world's fourth leading cause of death from protozoan parasites.It is listed by the National Institutes of Health as a category Bpriority biodefense pathogen. Current treatment relies onmetronidazole, which has adverse effects, and potential resistanceto the drug is an increasing concern. "Because auranofin has already been approved by the FDA foruse in humans, we can save years of expensive development,"said Reed. "In our studies in animal models, auranofin was tentimes more potent against this parasite than metronidazole." In a mouse model of amebic colitis and a hamster model of amebicliver abscess, the drug markedly decreased the number of parasites,damage from inflammation, and size of liver abscesses. "This new use of an old drug represents a promising therapyfor a major health threat, and highlights how research funded bythe National Institutes of Health can benefit people around theworld," said Reed. The drug has been granted"orphan-drug" status (which identifies a significant,newly developed or recognized treatment for a disease which affectsfewer than 200,000 persons in the United States) and UC San Diegohopes to conduct clinical trials in the near future. Additional contributors to the study include first author AnjanDebnath, Shamila S. Gunatilleke and James H. McKerrow, UCSF SandlerCenter for Drug Discovery; Derek Parsonage and Leslie B. Poole,Wake Forest School of Medicine; Rosa M. Andrade, Chen He, EduardoR. Cobo and Ken Hirata, UC San Diego School of Medicine; StevenChen and Michelle R. Arkin, UCSF; Guillermina García-Rivera,Esther Orozco and Máximo B. Martínez, InstitutoPolitécnico Nacional, Mexico City; and Amy M. Barrios,University of Utah, Salt Lake City. This work was supported by the Sandler Foundation and US NationalInstitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases grant 5U01AI077822-02,with additional support from R01 GM050389. I am an expert from steelrollcage.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Roll Cage Containers , Parcel Trolley Manufacturer, Folding Rolling Carts,and more.
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