Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28841653›Full record

ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2017

Treatment of Schistosoma mansoni with miltefosine in vitro enhances serological recognition of defined worm surface antigens.

Marwa H El-Faham, Maha M Eissa, Joseph E Igetei, Eglal I Amer, Susan Liddell, Mervat Z El-Azzouni, Michael J Doenhoff

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Evaluation of metformin's effect on the adult and juvenile stages ofJournal of parasitic diseases : official organ of the Indian Society for Parasitology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.

Marwa H El-FahamDepartment of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3927-4343
Maha M EissaDepartment of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
Joseph E IgeteiSchool of Life Sciences, University Park, University of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Eglal I AmerDepartment of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
Susan LiddellSchool of Biosciences, Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Mervat Z El-AzzouniDepartment of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
Michael J DoenhoffSchool of Life Sciences, University Park, University of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Alexandria University · EGUniversity of Nottingham · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMiltefosine, an anti-cancer drug that has been successfully repositioned for treatment of Leishmania infections, has recently also shown promising effects against Schistosoma spp targeting all life cycle stages of the parasite. The current study examined the effect of treating Schistosoma mansoni adult worms with miltefosine on exposure of worm surface antigens in vitro. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL

findingsIn an indirect immunofluorescence assay, rabbit anti-S.mansoni adult worm homogenate and anti-S. mansoni infection antisera gave strong immunofluorescence of the S. mansoni adult worm surface after treatment with miltefosine, the latter antiserum having previously been shown to synergistically enhance the schistosomicidal activity of praziquantel. Rabbit antibodies that recognised surface antigens exposed on miltefosine-treated worms were recovered by elution off the worm surface in low pH buffer and were used in a western immunoblotting assay to identify antigenic targets in a homogenate extract of adult worms (SmWH). Four proteins reacting with the antibodies in immunoblots were purified and proteomic analysis (MS/MS) combined with specific immunoblotting indicated they were the S. mansoni proteins: fructose-1,6 bisphosphate aldolase (SmFBPA), Sm22.6, alkaline phosphatase and malate dehydrogenase. These antibodies were also found to bind to the surface of 3-hour schistosomula and induce immune agglutination of the parasites, suggesting they may have a role in immune protection. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This study reveals a novel mode of action of miltefosine as an anti-schistosome agent. The immune-dependent hypothesis we investigated has previously been lent credence with praziquantel (PZQ), whereby treatment unmasks parasite surface antigens not normally exposed to the host during infection. Antigens involved in this molecular mechanism could have potential as intervention targets and antibodies against these antigens may act to increase the drug's anti-parasite efficacy and be involved in the development of resistance to re-infection.

Indexed as

AnimalsAnthelminticsAntigens, HelminthAntigens, SurfaceBlotting, WesternFluorescent Antibody Technique, IndirectMass SpectrometryPhosphorylcholineRabbitsSchistosoma mansoniAnthelminticsAntigens, HelminthAntigens, SurfacemiltefosinePhosphorylcholine

Identifiers

PMID28841653
PMCPMC5589257
OpenAlexW2747066531

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.