The HSP90 inhibitor 17-AAG potentiates the antileishmanial activity of the ether lipid edelfosine

HSP90 is an abundant protein in Leishmania parasites that plays a major role in the parasite survival under stress conditions. Here we found that the HSP90 inhibitor 17-AAG (>= 100 nM 17-AAG) induced cell cycle arrest at G(0)/G(1) in Leishmania infantum and Leishmania panamensis promastigotes, and highly potentiated the induction of cell death by an apoptotic-like process mediated by the ether phospholipid edelfosine (5-20 mu M). These data suggest that the combined treatment of 17-AAG and edelfosine might be a novel and effective approach of combination therapy in the treatment of leishmaniasis. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.