Ir-(COD)-pentamidine tetraphenylborate which has previously been studied on promastigote forms of Leishmania, was investigated for its antileishmanial properties compared with pentamidine used as reference compound. In vitro, the iridium complex had the same IC50 value on intracellular forms of Leishmania as pentamidine (15 microM). In vivo, the compound could not be injected intravenously due ...

Pentamidine inhibits in vitro splicing of nuclear group I introns from rRNA genes of some pathogenic fungi and is known to inhibit mitochondrial function in yeast. Here we report that pentamidine inhibits the self-splicing of three group I and two group II introns of yeast mitochondria. Comparison of yeast strains with different configurations of mitochondrial introns (12, 5, 4, or 0 introns) r...

Among the different signaling molecules released during reactive gliosis occurring in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the astrocyte-derived S100B protein plays a key role in neuroinflammation, one of the hallmarks of the disease. The use of pharmacological tools targeting S100B may be crucial to embank its effects and some of the pathological features of AD. The antiprotozoal drug pentamidine is a go...

PURPOSE To describe the course and outcome of treatment of advanced Acanthamoeba sclerokeratitis with intravenous pentamidine. METHODS A case of advanced Acanthamoeba sclerokeratitis was resistant to conventional therapy and was treated with intravenous pentamidine. The eye was later removed due to incapacitating pain. RESULTS The eye showed Acanthamoeba organisms within the cornea and evid...

The incidence ofPneumocystis carinu pneun onia (PCP) has b en shown to be high posttransplantation in the absence ofprophylaxis. For this reason, lung transplant recipients routinely receive prophylaxis. We report on our results using aerosolized pentamidine prophylaxis in nine patients post-lung transplantation (eight single lung transplants, one double). The patients received monthly treatmen...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship between the degree of immune deficiency and the risk of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) among HIV-infected patients receiving inhaled pentamidine prophylaxis. DESIGN Retrospective chart review. SETTING AIDS clinic of inner-city hospital. PATIENTS Patients attending inhaled pentamidine clinic between 1989 and 1991. INTERVENTION Review of...

Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is a genetic disorder caused by the expression (as RNA) of expanded CTG or CCTG repeats. The alternative splicing factor MBNL1 is sequestered to the expanded RNA repeats, resulting in missplicing of a subset of pre-mRNAs linked to symptoms found in DM patients. Current data suggest that if MBNL1 is released from sequestration, disease symptoms may be alleviated. We ident...

The PRL family oncogenic phosphatases are attractive targets for developing inhibitors as anticancer therapeutics given their potentially pathogenic role in human malignancies. Herein we demonstrate that pentamidine, an anti-protozoa drug with an unknown mechanism of action, is an inhibitor of PRLs with anticancer potential. Pentamidine at its therapeutic doses inhibited recombinant PRL phospha...