Anti- Toxoplasma gondii screening of MMV pandemic response box and evaluation of RWJ-67657 efficacy in chronically infected mice.

Toxoplasmosis is a significant public health concern with limited therapeutic options. The medicines for malaria venture (MMV) developed the pandemic response box (PRB) containing 400 drug-like molecules with broad pathogen activity. The aim of this work is to evaluate PRB compounds for their anti- Toxoplasma gondii activity and identify promising candidates for further evaluation. Screening identified 42 selective compounds with half effective concentration (EC₅₀) ranging from 2.4 to 913.1 nm and half cytotoxic concentration (CC₅₀) ranging from 6 μm to >50 μm. Selectivity index (SI) values (CC₅₀/EC₅₀) ranged from 11 to 17 708. Based on its in silico and in vitro profile and its commercial availability, RWJ-67657 was selected for further studies. Molecular docking analysis showed RWJ-67657 is predicted to bind to T. gondii p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (TgMAPK). Oral administration of RWJ-67657 (20 mg kg day⁻¹/10 days) significantly reduced parasite burden in chronically infected mice compared to mock-treated group (P < 0.01). These findings highlight the PRB as a promising source for anti- T. gondii compounds, with several showing favourable drug properties, including MMV1634492, MMV002731, MMV1634491, MMV1581551, MMV011565, MMV1581558, MMV1578577, MMV233495 and MMV1580482, firstly described here as anti- T. gondii agents. RWJ-67657 emerges as a valuable drug candidate for experimental chronic cerebral toxoplasmosis therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]