Validation of a simple resazurin-based promastigote assay for the routine monitoring of miltefosine susceptibility in clinical isolates of Leishmania donovani

Parasitol Res. 2013 Feb;112(2):825-8. doi: 10.1007/s00436-012-3212-3. Epub 2012 Dec 13.

Abstract

Simple, cost-effective approach for routine surveillance of parasite susceptibility to antileishmanial drug miltefosine (MIL) is highly desirable for controlling emergence of drug resistance in visceral leishmaniasis (VL). We validated a simple resazurin-based fluorimetric assay using promastigotes to track natural MIL tolerance in Leishmania donovani parasites from VL cases (n = 17) against standard amastigote assay, in two different labs in India. The inter-stage MIL susceptibility correlated strongly (r = 0.70, p = 0.0018) using J774.A.1 macrophage cell line-based amastigote assay and fluorescence-based resazurin assay for promastigotes. Investigation of inter-stage MIL susceptibility for the same set of clinical isolates in another lab also showed a strong correlation (r = 0.72, p = 0.0012) using mouse peritoneal macrophages for amastigote assay and resazurin-based alamar blue assay for promastigotes. Additionally, parasites from post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) lesions (n = 7, r = 0.78, p = 0.046) and MIL-induced parasites (r = 0.92, p = 0.0001; n = 3) also exhibited a strongly correlated inter-stage miltefosine susceptibility. Thus, our results support the utility of resazurin assay as a simplified biological tool for MIL susceptibility monitoring in clinical isolates from MIL-treated VL/PKDL patients.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiprotozoal Agents / pharmacology*
  • Cell Line
  • Fluorometry / methods*
  • India
  • Leishmania donovani / drug effects*
  • Macrophages / parasitology
  • Mice
  • Oxazines / metabolism
  • Parasitic Sensitivity Tests / economics
  • Parasitic Sensitivity Tests / methods
  • Phosphorylcholine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Phosphorylcholine / pharmacology
  • Staining and Labeling / methods
  • Xanthenes / metabolism

Substances

  • Antiprotozoal Agents
  • Oxazines
  • Xanthenes
  • Phosphorylcholine
  • resazurin
  • miltefosine