Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by infection with the larvae of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato ( s.l. ) cluster. It is urgent to identify novel drug targets and develop new drug candidates against CE. Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) is mainly responsible for the transmembrane transport of glucose to maintain its constant cellular availability and is a recent research hotspot as a drug target in various diseases. However, the role of GLUT1 in E. granulosus s.l. (EgGLUT1) was unknown. In this study, we cloned a conserved GLUT1 homology gene (named EgGLUT1-ss) from E. granulosus sensu stricto ( s.s. ) and found EgGLUT1-ss was crucial for glucose uptake and viability by the protoscoleces of E. granulosus s.s. WZB117, a GLUT1 inhibitor, inhibited glucose uptake by E. granulosus s.s. and the viability of the metacestode in vitro . In addition, WZB117 showed significant therapeutic activity in E. granulosus s.s. -infected mice: a 10 mg/kg dose of WZB117 significantly reduced the number and weight of parasite cysts ( P < 0.05) as efficiently as the reference drug, albendazole. Our results demonstrate that EgGLUT1-ss is crucial for glucose uptake by the protoscoleces of E. granulosus s.s. , and its inhibitor WZB117 has a therapeutic effect on CE.
【저자키워드】 glucose uptake, Cystic echinococcosis,