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КартаВръзкиТемиБългарияНощта (K-TRIO)Мария Склодовска-КюриЗа ученициЗа учителиМетодологияИзненадай ме
HEИндивидуална стипендия2023–2025

MetaLeish · Metals against Leishmaniasis

„Хоризонт Европа“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период
2023-04-01 → 2025-03-31
Финансиране от ЕС
165 313 €
Участници
2
Схема
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Биоразградими метални наночастици от цинк или магнезий се тестват като средство за борба с кожния лейшманиоз. Целта е да се създаде по-достъпно лечение с по-малко странични ефекти от сегашните токсични лекарства.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Metals against Leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is one of the world’s neglected tropical diseases. It is caused by over 20 species of protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus. Clinically, it manifests in three forms: cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), characterized by deep lacerations in the skin; mucocutaneus leishmaniasis (ML), characterized by partial or total destruction of mucous membranes of the nose, mouth and throat; and visceral leishmaniasis (VL), the deadliest, which affects the spleen, the liver and can reach the bone marrow. The current treatments are few, in some cases expensive and with limited access. Currently available drugs were developed more than 50 years ago and not specifically for the treatment of leishmaniasis. Moreover, they can be toxic to patients. Treatment involves the administration of pentavalent antimonial compounds (for instance, sodium stibogluconate or meglumine antimonite), or other drugs such as liposomal amphotericin B (L-AMB). The treatment time is long (up to 28 days) and the success rates varies widely due to either drop-out from the treatment, early death, migraines, anorexia, and others, which can be attributed to adverse effects from these drugs. Within this scenario, the MetaLeish project (Metals against Leishmaniasis) aims at developing a new treatment based on biodegradable metal nanoparticles (BMPs) to cure cutaneous leishmaniasis. The purpose is to develop a new, practical, and affordable therapeutic solution that minimizes unwanted side effects, avoids the development of resistances, and is of easy access for the most affected population. The general hypothesis is that BMPs of metals such as zinc (Zn) or magnesium (Mg) can affect the intracellular environment where the parasite thrives and, thus, affect its viability.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Metal nanoparticles have shown high efficacy against various pathogenic microorganisms, including antibiotic-resistant strains, being a very promising solution for the development of novel therapies. Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease, caused by obligatory intracellular parasites of the Leishmania genus. In their human host, they thrive inside the acidic environment of parasitophorous vacuole of mononuclear phagocytic cells, such as macrophages. Leishmaniasis can manifest itself either through disfiguring skin lesions (cutaneous leishmaniasis), or by reaching the spleen, the liver or the bone marrow (visceral leishmaniasis). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it threatens more than 350 million people worldwide. There is no vaccine, and current treatments are long and difficult, based on toxic, expensive drugs that are becoming ineffective due to the development of resistance. The MetaLeish project aims to develop a new treatment against leishmaniasis based on biodegradable metal nanoparticles (BMPs). Metals such as Zn and Mg are widely considered biocompatible, being biodegradable in the human body. Moreover, they possess antimicrobial properties and an immunomodulatory action. Due to their small size, these particles can reach the parasitophorous vacuole of an infected phagocytic cell, and kill the parasite. For this purpose, Zn and Mg BMPs will be produced through the spark discharge technique. Then, BMPs aggregation in PBS or cell culture medium will be optimized, if necessary through functionalization or encapsulation steps, in order to achieve a stable colloidal suspension to be applied in in vitro assays. Lastly, BMPs efficacy against Leishmania parasites internalized in phagocytic cells will be accessed, and the mechanisms through which they are internalized by infected-macrophage cells and exert their anti-Leishmania action will be thoroughly described.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

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Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз