@article {Jeganathan506, author = {Sinthujah Jeganathan and Lisa Sanderson and Murat Dogruel and Jean Rodgers and Simon Croft and Sarah A. Thomas}, title = {The Distribution of Nifurtimox Across the Healthy and Trypanosome-Infected Murine Blood-Brain and Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barriers}, volume = {336}, number = {2}, pages = {506--515}, year = {2011}, doi = {10.1124/jpet.110.172981}, publisher = {American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics}, abstract = {Nifurtimox, an antiparasitic drug, is used to treat American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) and has shown promise in treating central nervous system (CNS)-stage human African trypanosomiasis (HAT; sleeping sickness). In combination with other antiparasitic drugs, the efficacy of nifurtimox against HAT improves, although why this happens is unclear. Studying how nifurtimox crosses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and reaches the CNS may clarify this issue and is the focus of this study. To study the interaction of nifurtimox with the blood-CNS interfaces, we used the in situ brain/choroid plexus perfusion technique in healthy and trypanosome-infected mice and the isolated incubated choroid plexus. Results revealed that nifurtimox could cross the healthy and infected blood-brain and blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barriers (Kin brain parenchyma was 50.8 {\textpm} 9.0 μl {\textperiodcentered} min-1 {\textperiodcentered} g-1). In fact, the loss of barrier integrity associated with trypanosome infection failed to change the distribution of [3H]nifurtimox to any significant extent, suggesting there is not an effective paracellular barrier for [3H]nifurtimox entry into the CNS. Our studies also indicate that [3H]nifurtimox is not a substrate for P-glycoprotein, an efflux transporter expressed on the luminal membrane of the BBB. However, there was evidence of [3H]nifurtimox interaction with transporters at both the blood-brain and blood-CSF barriers as demonstrated by cross-competition studies with the other antitrypanosomal agents, eflornithine, suramin, melarsoprol, and pentamidine. Consequently, CNS efficacy may be improved with nifurtimox-pentamidine combinations, but over time may be reduced when nifurtimox is combined with eflornithine, suramin, or melarsoprol.}, issn = {0022-3565}, URL = {https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/336/2/506}, eprint = {https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/336/2/506.full.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics} }