In vitro molecular assessment of Cryptosporidium parvum parasitic load on human ileocecal adenocarcinoma cell culture after targeting by tavaborole (AN2690)

Cryptosporidiosis remains a main source of life-threatening diarrhea in young children and immunocompromised patients. The current approved treatment; Nitazoxanide decreases the duration of diarrhea in immunocompetent adults but is not effective in immunocompromised patients. Benzoxaboroles are synthesized boron-heterocyclic compounds that have recently reported promising anti-protozoal action against several protozoa including Plasmodium, Leishmania and Toxoplasma species, by inhibiting essential microbial enzymes. Tavaborole has been a medically approved benzoxaborole that showed a promising anti-protozoal activity by inhibiting leucyl-tRNA synthetase enzyme. The present work was a trial to find the potential efficacy of Tavaborole (AN2690) as a promising drug against Cryptosporidium parvum. The drug was compared to Nitazoxanide in an in vitro human ileocecal adenocarcinoma (HCT-8) culture model. Drug efficacy was evaluated by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The molecular assessment revealed a statistically remarkable decrease in parasitic load under the effect of Tavaborole when compared to Nitazoxanide.