The clinical value of antimonial drugs, the mainstay therapy for leishmaniasis, is now threatened by the emergence of acquired drug resistance, and a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms is required. Using the model organism Leishmania tarentolae, we have examined the role of trypanothione S-transferase (TST) in trivalent antimony [Sb(III)] resistance. TST has S-transferase ...

There is increasing evidence that Trypanosoma cruzi antioxidant enzymes play a key immune evasion role by protecting the parasite against macrophage-derived reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Using T. cruzi transformed to overexpress the peroxiredoxins TcCPX (T. cruzi cytosolic tryparedoxin peroxidase) and TcMPX (T. cruzi mitochondrial tryparedoxin peroxidase), we found that both cell lines ...

Leishmaniasis affects 12 million people, but there are no vaccines. Immunological correlates of vaccine efficacy are unclear. Polarized Th1 vs Th2 responses in Leishmania major-infected mice suggested that a shift in balance from IL-4 to IFN-gamma was the key to vaccine success. Recently, a role for IL-10 and regulatory T cells in parasite persistence was demonstrated, prompting re-evaluation o...

Tryparedoxin peroxidase (TXNPx) is an essential constituent of the main enzymatic scavenger system for reactive oxygen species (ROS) in trypanosomatids. Genetic studies have demonstrated the importance of this system for the development and virulence of these parasites, representing a potential target for the discovery of new trypanocidal drugs. In this work, the mitochondrial TXNPx from Leishm...