Inorganic nanoparticles kill Toxoplasma gondii via changes in redox status and mitochondrial membrane potential

Oluyomi Stephen Adeyemi, Yuho Murata, Tatsuki Sugi, Kentaro Kato

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

51 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study evaluated the anti-Toxoplasma gondii potential of gold, silver, and platinum nanoparticles (NPs). Inorganic NPs (0.01-1,000 µg/mL) were screened for antiparasitic activity. The NPs caused >90% inhibition of T. gondii growth with EC50 values of ≤7, ≤1, and ≤100 µg/mL for gold, silver, and platinum NPs, respectively. The NPs showed no host cell cytotoxicity at the effective anti-T. gondii concentrations; the estimated selectivity index revealed a ≥20-fold activity toward the parasite versus the host cell. The anti-T. gondii activity of the NPs, which may be linked to redox signaling, affected the parasite mitochondrial membrane potential and parasite invasion, replication, recovery, and infectivity potential. Our results demonstrated the antiparasitic potential of NPs. The findings support the further exploration of NPs as a possible source of alternative and effective anti-T. gondii agents.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1647-1661
Number of pages15
JournalInternational journal of nanomedicine
Volume12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017 Feb 28
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Antiparasite
  • Drug screening
  • Nanomedicine
  • Toxoplasmosis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Bioengineering
  • Biomaterials
  • Pharmaceutical Science
  • Drug Discovery
  • Organic Chemistry

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