Research Corner - Therapeutic Applications of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Leukotoxin
Dr Kitty Guo, our ECG Academic representative, has kindly written a precis of a really thought-provoking article that was recently published.
Therapeutic Applications of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Leukotoxin
We all know Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans as the leukotoxin (LtxA) producing species involved in periodontitis, but did you know that this same leukotoxin that aids A. a’s pathogenicity is being investigated for various therapeutic effects?
Kachlany and Vega review the literature on therapeutic uses of LtxA likening the discoveries to that of botulinum toxin and other therapeutic bacterial proteins.
These findings are based on LtxA’s binding to the white blood cell (WBC) antigen, LFA-1, leading to selective cell death. LtxA targets diseased WBCs that overexpress LFA-1 while sparing other immune cells.
LtxA has been approved for study in human trials for patients with relapsed/refractory leukaemia and lymphoma and has been investigated in animal studies for psoriasis and allergic asthma.
Though these studies are in early stages and more research is required to fully understand the potential uses of LtxA, understanding the virulence mechanisms of this periodontal pathogen has opened up valuable insights into novel drug development.
Click on the link below to access the full article;