Studies of Calpain Inhibotors as Antiparasitic Agents Against Trichomonas vaginalis

Trichomonas vaginalis is the most prevalent STD with cases on the rise in both the US and other countries. With the rapid increase in Trichomonasis drug resistance, it leads one to look at other pathways where drugs might be effective. Calpains have been shown to have a pathogenic role in many diseases with parasitic diseases being the most recent and studied pathway. Inhibitors for calpains are currently being tested for activity against neural diseases as well as anti-malaria properties. Here we showed that Calpain Inhibitor III, MDL28710, had significant resistance to T1 Trichomonas vaginalis strain and drug resistant line CDC-085, as compared to our control. Furthermore, a combination therapy of Calpain Inhibitor III with standard drug treatment of Metronidazole showed better inhibition than standard Metronidazole therapy alone. Also the combination therapy showed that less Metronidazole was needed with Calpain Inhibitor III to have the same effect as just Metronidazole alone. Overall, with these findings we have shown that Calpain Inhibitors can be a new source of drug treatment for Trichomonas vaginalis infections and could help reduce the number of drug resistant cases