Anti-schistosomal action of the calcium channel agonist FPL-64176.

ABSTRACT: Subversion of parasite neuromuscular function is a key strategy for anthelmintic drug development. Schistosome Ca²⁺ signaling has been an area of particular interest for decades, with a specific focus on L-type voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels (Ca_vs). However, the study of these channels has been technically challenging. One barrier is the lack of pharmacological probes that are active on flatworms, since the dihydropyridine (DHP) based ligands typically used to study Ca_vs are relatively ineffective on schistosomes. Here, we have characterized the effect of a structurally distinct putative L-type Ca_v agonist, FPL-64176, on schistosomes cultured ex vivo and in an in vivo murine model of infection. Unlike DHPs, FPL-64176 evokes rapid and sust

SUBMITTER: McCusker P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6796685 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature