Increased Trypanocidal Activity of the Salinomycin Derivative Ironomycin Is Due to ROS Production and Iron Uptake Impairment

Salinomycin and its derivatives display promising anti-proliferating activity against bloodstream forms of <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i>. The mechanism of trypanocidal action of these compounds is due to their ionophoretic activity inducing an influx of sodium cations followed by osmotic wat...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dietmar Steverding, Stuart A. Rushworth, Georgina R. Hurle, Michał Antoszczak, Michał Sulik, Adam Huczyński, Kevin M. Tyler
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Molecules
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/29/23/5597
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850261342949212160
author Dietmar Steverding
Stuart A. Rushworth
Georgina R. Hurle
Michał Antoszczak
Michał Sulik
Adam Huczyński
Kevin M. Tyler
author_facet Dietmar Steverding
Stuart A. Rushworth
Georgina R. Hurle
Michał Antoszczak
Michał Sulik
Adam Huczyński
Kevin M. Tyler
author_sort Dietmar Steverding
collection DOAJ
description Salinomycin and its derivatives display promising anti-proliferating activity against bloodstream forms of <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i>. The mechanism of trypanocidal action of these compounds is due to their ionophoretic activity inducing an influx of sodium cations followed by osmotic water uptake, leading to massive swelling of bloodstream-form trypanosomes. Generally, higher trypanocidal activities of salinomycin derivatives are associated with higher cell swelling activities. Although ironomycin (C20-propargylamine derivative of salinomycin) and salinomycin showed identical cell swelling activities, ironomycin was 6 times more trypanocidal than salinomycin, and the 50% growth inhibition (GI<sub>50</sub>) values were 0.034 μM and 0.20 μM, respectively. However, when bloodstream-form trypanosomes were incubated with ironomycin in the presence of vitamin E and ammonium ferric citrate, the trypanocidal activity of the compound was reduced to that of salinomycin (GI<sub>50</sub> = 0.21 μM vs. GI<sub>50</sub> = 0.20 μM). In addition, vitamin E was found to decrease the trypanocidal activity of ironomycin much more than ammonium ferric citrate (GI<sub>50</sub> = 0.18 μM vs. GI<sub>50</sub> = 0.042 μM). Moreover, ironomycin caused a reduction in the uptake of the iron-carrier protein transferrin mediated by a downregulation of the transferrin receptor and led to the accumulation and sequestering of iron(II) in the parasite’s lysosome, triggering an increase production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results suggest that the increased trypanocidal activity of ironomycin can be mainly attributed to an increased ROS production and, to a lesser extent, an impairment in iron uptake.
format Article
id doaj-art-b02ecd5c51fb4334b8f3ed45da12d811
institution OA Journals
issn 1420-3049
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Molecules
spelling doaj-art-b02ecd5c51fb4334b8f3ed45da12d8112025-08-20T01:55:27ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492024-11-012923559710.3390/molecules29235597Increased Trypanocidal Activity of the Salinomycin Derivative Ironomycin Is Due to ROS Production and Iron Uptake ImpairmentDietmar Steverding0Stuart A. Rushworth1Georgina R. Hurle2Michał Antoszczak3Michał Sulik4Adam Huczyński5Kevin M. Tyler6Bob Champion Research and Education Building, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7UQ, UKBob Champion Research and Education Building, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7UQ, UKBioMedical Research Centre, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UKDepartment of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 8, 61-614 Poznań, PolandBioMedical Research Centre, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UKSalinomycin and its derivatives display promising anti-proliferating activity against bloodstream forms of <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i>. The mechanism of trypanocidal action of these compounds is due to their ionophoretic activity inducing an influx of sodium cations followed by osmotic water uptake, leading to massive swelling of bloodstream-form trypanosomes. Generally, higher trypanocidal activities of salinomycin derivatives are associated with higher cell swelling activities. Although ironomycin (C20-propargylamine derivative of salinomycin) and salinomycin showed identical cell swelling activities, ironomycin was 6 times more trypanocidal than salinomycin, and the 50% growth inhibition (GI<sub>50</sub>) values were 0.034 μM and 0.20 μM, respectively. However, when bloodstream-form trypanosomes were incubated with ironomycin in the presence of vitamin E and ammonium ferric citrate, the trypanocidal activity of the compound was reduced to that of salinomycin (GI<sub>50</sub> = 0.21 μM vs. GI<sub>50</sub> = 0.20 μM). In addition, vitamin E was found to decrease the trypanocidal activity of ironomycin much more than ammonium ferric citrate (GI<sub>50</sub> = 0.18 μM vs. GI<sub>50</sub> = 0.042 μM). Moreover, ironomycin caused a reduction in the uptake of the iron-carrier protein transferrin mediated by a downregulation of the transferrin receptor and led to the accumulation and sequestering of iron(II) in the parasite’s lysosome, triggering an increase production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These results suggest that the increased trypanocidal activity of ironomycin can be mainly attributed to an increased ROS production and, to a lesser extent, an impairment in iron uptake.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/29/23/5597<i>Trypanosoma brucei</i>ironomycinsalinomycintrypanocidal activityreactive oxygen species
spellingShingle Dietmar Steverding
Stuart A. Rushworth
Georgina R. Hurle
Michał Antoszczak
Michał Sulik
Adam Huczyński
Kevin M. Tyler
Increased Trypanocidal Activity of the Salinomycin Derivative Ironomycin Is Due to ROS Production and Iron Uptake Impairment
Molecules
<i>Trypanosoma brucei</i>
ironomycin
salinomycin
trypanocidal activity
reactive oxygen species
title Increased Trypanocidal Activity of the Salinomycin Derivative Ironomycin Is Due to ROS Production and Iron Uptake Impairment
title_full Increased Trypanocidal Activity of the Salinomycin Derivative Ironomycin Is Due to ROS Production and Iron Uptake Impairment
title_fullStr Increased Trypanocidal Activity of the Salinomycin Derivative Ironomycin Is Due to ROS Production and Iron Uptake Impairment
title_full_unstemmed Increased Trypanocidal Activity of the Salinomycin Derivative Ironomycin Is Due to ROS Production and Iron Uptake Impairment
title_short Increased Trypanocidal Activity of the Salinomycin Derivative Ironomycin Is Due to ROS Production and Iron Uptake Impairment
title_sort increased trypanocidal activity of the salinomycin derivative ironomycin is due to ros production and iron uptake impairment
topic <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i>
ironomycin
salinomycin
trypanocidal activity
reactive oxygen species
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/29/23/5597
work_keys_str_mv AT dietmarsteverding increasedtrypanocidalactivityofthesalinomycinderivativeironomycinisduetorosproductionandironuptakeimpairment
AT stuartarushworth increasedtrypanocidalactivityofthesalinomycinderivativeironomycinisduetorosproductionandironuptakeimpairment
AT georginarhurle increasedtrypanocidalactivityofthesalinomycinderivativeironomycinisduetorosproductionandironuptakeimpairment
AT michałantoszczak increasedtrypanocidalactivityofthesalinomycinderivativeironomycinisduetorosproductionandironuptakeimpairment
AT michałsulik increasedtrypanocidalactivityofthesalinomycinderivativeironomycinisduetorosproductionandironuptakeimpairment
AT adamhuczynski increasedtrypanocidalactivityofthesalinomycinderivativeironomycinisduetorosproductionandironuptakeimpairment
AT kevinmtyler increasedtrypanocidalactivityofthesalinomycinderivativeironomycinisduetorosproductionandironuptakeimpairment