An examination of the activity of the dinitroanilines on Cryptosporidium parvum using in vitro, in vivo and target expression methods

More than 200 compounds have been tested for activity against Cryptosporidium parvum, both in vitro and in vivo, there is still no effective treatment. Previous studies have revealed the anticryptosporidial effect of the tubulin specific herbicides, the dinitroanilines. The in vitro activities of two members of this class of compounds, oryzalin and trifluralin have been demonstrated against Cryptosporidium. Recent studies exposed IC50 values for oryzalin and trifluralin against Cryptosporidium of 750 and 800 nM, respectively. This chapter presents a study, the aim of which on-going study is to examine tubulin as an effective target both in vivo and ex vivo.