{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,4]],"date-time":"2026-10-04T00:04:37Z","timestamp":1791072277517,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"FapUNIFESP (SciELO)","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Rev. Soc. Bras. Med. Trop."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>INTRODUCTION: Toxoplasmosis is usually a benign infection, except in the event of ocular, central nervous system (CNS), or congenital disease and particularly when the patient is immunocompromised. Treatment consists of drugs that frequently cause adverse effects; thus, newer, more effective drugs are needed. In this study, the possible activity of artesunate, a drug successfully being used for the treatment of malaria, on Toxoplasma gondii growth in cell culture is evaluated and compared with the action of drugs that are already being used against this parasite. METHODS: LLC-MK2 cells were cultivated in RPMI medium, kept in disposable plastic bottles, and incubated at 36\u00baC with 5% CO2. Tachyzoites of the RH strain were used. The following drugs were tested: artesunate, cotrimoxazole, pentamidine, pyrimethamine, quinine, and trimethoprim. The effects of these drugs on tachyzoites and LLC-MK2 cells were analyzed using nonlinear regression analysis with Prism 3.0 software. RESULTS: Artesunate showed a mean tachyzoite inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.075\u00b5M and an LLC MK2 toxicity of 2.003\u00b5M. Pyrimethamine was effective at an IC50 of 0.482\u00b5M and a toxicity of 11.178\u00b5M. Trimethoprim alone was effective against the in vitro parasite. Cotrimoxazole also was effective against the parasite but at higher concentrations than those observed for artesunate and pyrimethamine. Pentamidine and quinine had no inhibitory effect over tachyzoites. CONCLUSIONS: Artesunate is proven in vitro to be a useful alternative for the treatment of toxoplasmosis, implying a subsequent in vivo effect and suggesting the mechanism of this drug against the parasite.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1590\/s0037-86822012000400014","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2012,8,25]],"date-time":"2012-08-25T09:53:38Z","timestamp":1345888418000},"page":"485-490","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["In vitro action of antiparasitic drugs, especially artesunate, against Toxoplasma gondii"],"prefix":"10.1590","volume":"45","author":[{"given":"Tha\u00eds Cobellis","family":"Gomes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade de S\u00e3o Paulo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Heitor Franco de","family":"Andrade J\u00fanior","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade de S\u00e3o Paulo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Susana Ang\u00e9lica Zevallos","family":"Lescano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade de S\u00e3o Paulo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vicente","family":"Amato-Neto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidade de S\u00e3o Paulo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"530","reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1965","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(04)16412-X","article-title":"Toxoplasmosis","volume":"363","author":"Montoya JG","year":"2004","journal-title":"Lancet","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0099-5355","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"634","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1469-0691.2002.00485.x","article-title":"Toxoplasma gondii: transmission, diagnosis and prevention","volume":"8","author":"Hill D","year":"2002","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Infect"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"402","DOI":"10.1001\/archinte.163.4.402","article-title":"Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole revisited","volume":"163","author":"Masters PA","year":"2003","journal-title":"Arch Intern Med","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0003-9926","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1269","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.01203-07","article-title":"In vitro susceptibility of various genotypic strains of Toxoplasma gondii to pyrimethamine, sulfadiazine, and atovaquone","volume":"52","author":"Meneceur P","year":"2008","journal-title":"Antimicrob Agents Chemother","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0066-4804","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1392","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.38.6.1392","article-title":"In vitro effects of artemisinin ether, cycloguanil, hydrochloride (alone and in combination of sulfadiazine), quinine sulfate, mefloquine, primaquine phosphate, trifluoperazine hydrochloride, and verapamil on Toxoplasma gondii","volume":"38","author":"Holfels E","year":"1994","journal-title":"Antimicrob Agents Chemother","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0066-4804","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"395","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.2004.70.395","article-title":"In vitro efficacy of antimalarial drugs against Plasmodium vivax on the western border of Thailand","volume":"70","author":"Chotivanich K","year":"2004","journal-title":"Am J Trop Med Hyg","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0002-9637","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1139","DOI":"10.1093\/jac\/dkl125","article-title":"Artesunate and artemether are effective fasciolicides in the rat model and in vitro","volume":"57","author":"Keiser J","year":"2006","journal-title":"J Antimicrob Chemother","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0305-7453","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1961","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.34.10.1961","article-title":"Inhibition of growth of Toxoplasma gondii by Qinghaosu and derivatives","volume":"34","author":"Ke O-Y","year":"1990","journal-title":"Antimicrob Agents Chemother."},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"146","DOI":"10.1093\/jac\/dkn451","article-title":"Artemisinin derivatives inhibit Toxoplasma gondii in vitro at multiple steps in the lytic cycle","volume":"63","author":"D'Angelo JG","year":"2009","journal-title":"J Antimicrob Chemother","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0305-7453","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.2000.62.73","article-title":"Effects of artesunate, dihydroartemisinin and an artesunate-dihydroartemisinin combination against Toxoplasma gondii","volume":"62","author":"Sarciron ME","year":"2000","journal-title":"Am J Trop Med Hyg","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0002-9637","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref11","first-page":"185","article-title":"Effect of artesunate on Toxoplasma gondii: in vitro and in vivo studies","volume":"38","author":"El Zawawy L","year":"2008","journal-title":"J Egypt Soc Parasitol","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0253-5890","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"418","DOI":"10.1002\/bdrb.20163","article-title":"Artesunate: developmental toxicity and toxicokinetics in monkeys","volume":"83","author":"Clark RL","year":"2008","journal-title":"Birth Defects Res B Dev Reprod Toxicol"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"380","DOI":"10.1002\/bdrb.20027","article-title":"Developmental toxicity of Artesunate and an Artesunate combination in the rat and rabbit","volume":"71","author":"Clark RL","year":"2004","journal-title":"Birth Defects Res B Dev Reprod Toxicol"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"445","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.1979.28.445","article-title":"The effect of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole on Toxoplasma gondii in vitro and in vivo","volume":"28","author":"Grossman PL","year":"1979","journal-title":"Am J Trop Med Hyg","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0002-9637","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"35","DOI":"10.1016\/S0924-8579(99)00073-4","article-title":"Evaluation of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole as monotherapy or in combination in the management of toxoplasmosis in murine models","volume":"13","author":"Dumas J","year":"1999","journal-title":"Int J Antimicrob Agents."},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1876","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ophtha.2005.05.025","article-title":"Prospective Randomized Trial of Trimethoprim\/Sulfamethoxazole versus Pyrimethamine and Sulfadiazine in the Treatment of Ocular Toxoplasmosis","volume":"112","author":"Soheilian M","year":"2005","journal-title":"Ophthalmology","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0161-6420","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1914","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.35.9.1914","article-title":"Activity of Pentamidine and Pentamidine analogs against Toxoplasma gondii in cell cultures","volume":"35","author":"Lindsay DS","year":"1991","journal-title":"Antimicrob Agents Chemother","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0066-4804","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1753","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.33.10.1753","article-title":"In vitro effects of folate inhibitors on Toxoplasma gondii","volume":"33","author":"Derouin F","year":"1989","journal-title":"Antimicrob Agents Chemother","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0066-4804","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1993","DOI":"10.1128\/AAC.37.9.1993","article-title":"In vitro evaluation of the activities of Azithromycin alone and combined with Pyrimethamine against Toxoplasma gondii","volume":"37","author":"Cantin L","year":"1993","journal-title":"Antimicrob Agents Chemother","ISSN":"https:\/\/id.crossref.org\/issn\/0066-4804","issn-type":"print"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1093\/jac\/38.1.75","article-title":"Anti-Toxoplasma effects of pyrimethamine, trimethoprim and sulphonamides alone and in combination: implications for therapy","volume":"38","author":"Ven A","year":"1996","journal-title":"J Ant Chemother"}],"container-title":["Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.scielo.br\/pdf\/rsbmt\/v45n4\/a14v45n4.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2019,7,3]],"date-time":"2019-07-03T04:12:17Z","timestamp":1562127137000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.scielo.br\/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822012000400014&lng=en&tlng=en"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2012,8]]},"references-count":20,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,8]]}},"alternative-id":["S0037-86822012000400014"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1590\/s0037-86822012000400014","relation":{},"ISSN":["0037-8682"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0037-8682","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2012,8]]}}}