Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA.
Trends Parasitol. 2020 Feb;36(2):182-194. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.11.002. Epub 2019 Nov 29.
Infections caused by parasitic flatworms impose a considerable worldwide health burden. One of the most impactful is schistosomiasis, a disease caused by parasitic blood flukes. Treatment of schistosomiasis has relied on a single drug - praziquantel (PZQ) - for decades. The utility of PZQ as an essential medication is, however, intertwined with a stark gap in our knowledge as to how this drug works. No flatworm target has been identified that readily explains how PZQ paralyzes and damages schistosomes. Recently, a schistosome ion channel was discovered that is activated by PZQ and displays characteristics which mirror key features of PZQ action on schistosomes. Here, the journey to discovery of this target, properties of this ion channel, and remaining questions are reviewed.
由寄生扁形动物引起的感染给全球健康带来了相当大的负担。其中影响最大的是血吸虫病,一种由寄生性血吸 虫引起的疾病。几十年来,血吸虫病的治疗一直依赖于一种药物——吡喹酮(PZQ)。然而,作为一种基本药物,PZQ 的用途与我们对这种药物如何发挥作用的知识之间存在着明显的差距。尚未发现任何扁形动物靶标可以解释 PZQ 如何使血吸虫麻痹和受损。最近,发现了一种血吸虫离子通道,该通道被 PZQ 激活,并表现出与 PZQ 对血吸虫作用的关键特征相匹配的特征。本文回顾了这一靶标的发现历程、该离子通道的特性以及尚存的问题。