Leishmania Mexicana: Uptake of Sodium Stibogluconate (Pentostam) and Pentamidine by Parasite and Macrophages

Abstract

Pentavalent antimonials in the form of sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam) or meglumine antimonate (Glucantime) are the primary therapeutic agents for leighmaniasis. Pentamidine is clinically effective but has been relegated to the status of a secondary agent because of toxicity. However, pentamidine is a widely employed antimicrobial because it is also efficacious in Pneumocystis carinii infections and in African trypanosomiasis. There are two stages of Leishmania spp.: the mammalian form (amastigote) which is an obligate intramacrophage microorganism and the insect vector form (promastigote). Both Pentostam and pentamidine are more active against intramacrophage amastigotes than extracellular promastigotes (Berman et al. 1980), and the fact that both drugs are clinical agents indicates that in general both drugs are more active against amastigotes than mammalian cells. Keywords: Macrophages, Parasites, Antiparasitic drugs, Immunochemistry, Chemotherapy, Physiological effects, Biochemistry, Reprints.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1987
Accession Number
ADA201768

Entities

People

  • Brian D. Hansen
  • James V. Gallalee
  • Jonathan D. Berman

Organizations

  • Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anti-Infective Agents
  • Bioassay
  • Cells
  • Chemical Compounds
  • Chemistry
  • Chemotherapy
  • Classification
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Incubation
  • Infection
  • Leishmania
  • Leishmaniasis
  • Parasites
  • Parasitology
  • Pneumocystis Carinii
  • Security
  • Wound Infections

Readers

  • Infectious Disease/Epidemiology
  • Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
  • Parasitology and Pharmacology of Malaria.