Valproic Acid Inhibits Chronic Toxoplasma Infection and Associated Brain Inflammation in Mice.

ABSTRACT: Individuals infected with Toxoplasma gondii are prone to psychobehavioral disorders, most notably schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Valproic acid reportedly inhibits the proliferation of T. gondii tachyzoites in vitro. However, animals treated with the drug neither lived longer during acute infection nor had fewer brain cysts upon chronic infection. In this study, a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) method was applied to quantify copy numbers of BAG1 (a bradyzoite-specific protein), REP529 DNA (a repetitive DNA fragment of the parasite), and SAG1 (a highly expressed tachyzoite-specific surface protein) in the brains of chronically infected mice treated with valproic acid. The treatment inhibited the infection and decreased BAG1, SAG1, and REP529 copy numbers in mice brains (P</

SUBMITTER: Enshaeieh M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8448128 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature