Giardia lamblia, an anaerobic, amitochondriate protozoan parasite causes parasitic infection giardiasis in children and young adults. It produces pyruvate, a major metabolic product for its fermentative metabolism. The current study was undertaken to explore the effects of pyruvate as a physiological antioxidant during oxidative stress in Giardia by cysteine-ascorbate deprivation and further investigation upon the hypothesis that oxidative stress due to metabolism was the reason behind the cytotoxicity. We have estimated intracellular reactive oxygen species generation due to cysteine-ascorbate deprivation in Giardia. In the present study, we have examined the effects of extracellular addition of pyruvate, during oxidative stress generated from cysteine-ascorbate deprivation in culture media on DNA damage in Giardia. The intracellular pyruvate concentrations at several time points were measured in the trophozoites during stress. Trophozoites viability under cysteine-ascorbate deprived (CAD) medium in presence and absence of extracellular pyruvate has also been measured. The exogenous addition of a physiologically relevant concentration of pyruvate to trophozoites suspension was shown to attenuate the rate of ROS generation. We have demonstrated that Giardia protects itself from destructive consequences of ROS by maintaining the intracellular pyruvate concentration. Pyruvate recovers Giardia trophozoites from oxidative stress by decreasing the number of DNA breaks that might favor DNA repair.
Child ; Culture Media ; DNA Breaks ; DNA Damage ; DNA Repair ; Giardia lamblia ; Giardia ; Giardiasis ; Humans ; Metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; Parasites ; Pyruvic Acid ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Trophozoites ; Young Adult

Narceine methyl ester and narceine are potent alkaloids which were isolated from Corydalis longipes were found effective in vitro at very low concentration, i.e., 100~500 ppm against spore germination of some test plant pathogenic fungi (Alternaria solani, A. tagetica, Cercospora abelmoschi, Curvularia maculans, Erysiphe cichoracearum, E. pisi, Fusarium udum, Helminthosporium oryzae, H. penniseti, Ustilago cynodontis). Among the test, phytopathogens the spores of F. udum, C. maculans and H. penniseti were highly sensitive at 200 ppm. However, spores of E. pisi, A. solani and A. tagetica were less sensitive at low concentration followed by other test fungi. Most of the fungi showed zero or nearly zero percent spore germination at 400 and 500 ppm.
Alkaloids ; Corydalis* ; Fungi* ; Fusarium ; Germination ; Helminthosporium ; Oryza ; Plants ; Spores ; Ustilago