Issue |
Parasite
Volume 32, 2025
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | 7 | |
Number of page(s) | 20 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/parasite/2025001 | |
Published online | 04 February 2025 |
Review Article
Molecular pathogenesis of Cryptosporidium and advancements in therapeutic interventions
Pathogénèse moléculaire de Cryptosporidium et progrès dans les interventions thérapeutiques
1
College of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
2
College of Pharmacy, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
3
College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
4
College of Clinical Medicine, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
* Corresponding author: jirui2012@126.com
Received:
7
August
2024
Accepted:
14
January
2025
Cryptosporidiosis, caused by a Cryptosporidium infection, is a serious gastrointestinal disease commonly leading to diarrhea in humans. This disease poses a particular threat to infants, young children, and those with weakened immune systems. The treatment of cryptosporidiosis is challenging due to the current lack of an effective treatment or vaccine. Ongoing research is focused on understanding the molecular pathogenesis of Cryptosporidium and developing pharmacological treatments. In this review, we examine the signaling pathways activated by Cryptosporidium infection within the host and their role in protecting host epithelial cells. Additionally, we also review the research progress of chemotherapeutic targets against cryptosporidia-specific enzymes and anti-Cryptosporidium drugs (including Chinese and Western medicinal drugs), aiming at the development of more effective treatments for cryptosporidiosis.
Résumé
La cryptosporidiose, causée par une infection à Cryptosporidium, est une maladie gastro-intestinale grave entraînant généralement une diarrhée chez l’homme. Cette maladie constitue une menace particulière pour les nourrissons, les jeunes enfants et les personnes dont le système immunitaire est affaibli. Le traitement de la cryptosporidiose est difficile en raison de l’absence actuelle de traitement ou de vaccin efficace. Les recherches en cours se concentrent sur la compréhension de la pathogénèse moléculaire de Cryptosporidium et le développement de traitements pharmacologiques. Dans cette revue, nous examinons les voies de signalisation activées par l’infection à Cryptosporidium au sein de l’hôte et leur rôle dans la protection des cellules épithéliales de l’hôte. De plus, nous passons également en revue les progrès de la recherche sur les cibles chimiothérapeutiques contre les enzymes spécifiques de Cryptosporidium et les médicaments anti-Cryptosporidium (y compris les médicaments chinois et occidentaux), en visant le développement de traitements plus efficaces contre la cryptosporidiose.
Key words: Cryptosporidium / Cryptosporidiosis / Signaling pathways / Enzymatic targets / Drug therapy
Edited by: Jean-Loup Justine
© Y. Lu et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2025
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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