Ivermectin disrupts the function of the excretory-secretory apparatus in microfilariae of Brugia malayi.

ABSTRACT: Ivermectin (IVM) is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic used in filariasis control programs. By binding to nematode glutamate-gated chloride channels (GluCls), IVM disrupts neurotransmission processes regulated by GluCl activity. IVM treatment of filarial infections is characterized by an initial dramatic drop in the levels of circulating microfilariae, followed by long-term suppression of their production, but the drug has little direct effect on microfilariae in culture at pharmacologically relevant concentrations. We localized Brugia malayi GluCl expression solely in a muscle structure that surrounds the microfilarial excretory-secretory (ES) vesicle, which suggests that protein release from the ES vesicle is regulated by GluCl activity. Consistent with this hypothesis, exposure to IVM in vit

SUBMITTER: Moreno Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2993382 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature