Study of anti-Toxoplasma gondii effect of mPEG–PCL copolymeric loaded with pyrimethamine, in vitro
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The discovery of new drugs with minimal toxicity is crucially important in the search for effective treatments for toxoplasmosis. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of pyrimethamine-loaded mPEG-PCL copolymeric nanoparticles (mPEG-PCL-Pyr) against Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) tachyzoites. The nanoparticles were fabricated using a nano-precipitation method and characterized using DLS and AFM. Through MTT assay, the anti-toxoplasmic activity was gauged. Healthy and infected cell viability, infection index, proliferation index, plaque count, and size were evaluated. Results indicated a maximum drug loading capacity of 11.23% in the nanoparticles. Toxicity testing on Vero cells infected with tachyzoites revealed notable cytotoxic effects at pyrimethamine-equivalent concentrations of 20 and 40 mg/mL in the mPEG-PCL copolymeric nanoparticle formulation. However, as the results indicated, the administration of mPEG-PCL-Pyr resulted in the reduction of intracellular proliferation, infection index, and the number and size of plaques in comparison to uninfected treated cells (P < 0.05). The synthesized Nano drug exhibited slightly better performance than pyrimethamine, despite the lack of statistical significance in the observed distinction (p > 0.05). The study demonstrated that mPEG-PCL copolymeric nanoparticles containing pyrimethamine effectively impede the in vitro replication of T. gondii. The study demonstrated that mPEG-PCL copolymeric nanoparticles containing pyrimethamine effectively impede the in vitro replication of T. gondii. The impact of pyrimethamine resembled that of the synthesized nano-drug on T. gondii tachyzoites, suggesting the potential of these nanoparticles as a promising avenue for toxoplasmosis treatment.
Source: AMB Express
Authors: Mobina Gholami, Hossein Danafer, Mitra Sadeghi, Ahmad Daryani, Seyed Abdollah Hosseini, Shirzad Gholami
Language: English
Subfield: Parasitology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,990
OpenAlex ID: W4410026534