Exploring the potential of Toxoplasma gondii in drug development and as a delivery system

Experimental & Molecular Medicine, Published online: 01 February 2024; doi:10.1038/s12276-024-01165-7Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases are a varied set of conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues, causing long-term inflammation. These include illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease. IMIDs have become more common and also raise the risk of certain cancers. They occur due to an imbalance in inflammatory proteins and a misdirected immune response, involving different immune cells and communication pathways, such as the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of the transcription pathway. The main findings suggest that T. gondii or its antigens could potentially be used to develop new drugs for IMIDs by adjusting the immune response. Additionally, the unique ability of T. gondii to cross the blood-brain barrier using immune cells as a “Trojan horse” indicates its potential as a drug delivery tool for hard-to-treat diseases like brain tumors.This summary was initially drafted using artificial intelligence, then revised and fact-checked by the author.
Source: Experimental and Molecular Medicine - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Source Type: research