TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluation of anti-prion activity of congo red and its derivatives in experimentally infected hamsters
AU - Poli, Giorgio
AU - Martino, Piera Anna
AU - Villa, Stefania
AU - Carcassola, Gabriela
AU - Giannino, Maria Laura
AU - Dall'Ara, Paola
AU - Pollera, Claudia
AU - Iussich, Selina
AU - Tranquillo, Vito M.
AU - Bareggi, Silvio
AU - Mantegazza, Paolo
AU - Ponti, Wilma
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - Among transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), particularly dreadful are the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), because of its epidemic character, and the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in man, possibly related to BSE prion, through the intake of infected food. To treat TSE, many potentially therapeutic agents have been tested: some of them, among which is Congo Red (CAS 573-58-0, CR), delayed the onset of symptoms in scrapie-infected rodents, and some CR derivatives proved to be effective in vitro. The capacity of a synthesized CR derivative (CR-A) and of the aromatic central benzidine rings of CR (CR-B) to abrogate scrapie-induced disease in experimentally infected hamsters was assayed. CR, used as reference substance, administered i.e. after pre-incubatlon with the scrapie inoculum, was strongly effective in slowing the progression of the infection, while both CR-A and CR-B, administered alone or together, were not effective. Both CR-A and CR, when administered by subcutaneous route in i.e. scrapie-infected animals, prolonged the survival time in comparison to controls; CR-B was not effective. Moreover, both CR and CR-A were very effective in prolonging the survival time of i.p. scrapie-infected hamsters. The hypothesis of possible different mechanisms of interaction between CR or CR-A and the scrapie agent related to the chemical structures of the molecules is discussed.
AB - Among transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), particularly dreadful are the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), because of its epidemic character, and the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in man, possibly related to BSE prion, through the intake of infected food. To treat TSE, many potentially therapeutic agents have been tested: some of them, among which is Congo Red (CAS 573-58-0, CR), delayed the onset of symptoms in scrapie-infected rodents, and some CR derivatives proved to be effective in vitro. The capacity of a synthesized CR derivative (CR-A) and of the aromatic central benzidine rings of CR (CR-B) to abrogate scrapie-induced disease in experimentally infected hamsters was assayed. CR, used as reference substance, administered i.e. after pre-incubatlon with the scrapie inoculum, was strongly effective in slowing the progression of the infection, while both CR-A and CR-B, administered alone or together, were not effective. Both CR-A and CR, when administered by subcutaneous route in i.e. scrapie-infected animals, prolonged the survival time in comparison to controls; CR-B was not effective. Moreover, both CR and CR-A were very effective in prolonging the survival time of i.p. scrapie-infected hamsters. The hypothesis of possible different mechanisms of interaction between CR or CR-A and the scrapie agent related to the chemical structures of the molecules is discussed.
KW - Bovine spongiform encephalopatdy (BSE)
KW - CAS 573-58-0
KW - Congo Red, anti-prion activity, derivatives, hamster
KW - Prion protein
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=3242786318&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 15344846
AN - SCOPUS:3242786318
VL - 54
SP - 406
EP - 415
JO - Arzneimittel-Forschung/Drug Research
JF - Arzneimittel-Forschung/Drug Research
SN - 0004-4172
IS - 7
ER -