Screening of Potential Anti-Trypanosoma Cruzi Candidates: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

Overview

Journal Open Med Chem J

Publisher Bentham Open

Specialty Biochemistry

Date 2011 Jun 2

PMID 21629508

Citations 32

Authors

Maria de Nazare C Soeiro

Solange Lisboa de Castro

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Chagas disease (CD), caused by the intracellular protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is a parasitic illness endemic in Latin America. In the centennial after CD discovery by Carlos Chagas (1909), although it still represents an important public health problem in these affected areas, the existing chemotherapy, based on benznidazole and nifurtimox (both introduced more than four decades ago), is far from being considered ideal due to substantial toxicity, variable effect on different parasite stocks and well-known poor activity on the chronic phase. CD is considered one of the major "neglected" diseases of the world, as commercial incentives are very limited to guarantee investments for developing and discovering novel drugs. In this context, our group has been pursuing, over the last years, the efficacy, selectivity, toxicity, cellular targets and mechanisms of action of new potential anti-T. cruzi candidates screened from an in-house compound library of different research groups in the area of medicinal chemistry. A brief review regarding these studies will be discussed, mainly related to the effect on T. cruzi of (i) diamidines and related compounds, (ii) natural naphthoquinone derivatives, and (iii) megazol derivatives.

Citing Articles

Arylimidamides Have Potential for Chemoprophylaxis against Blood-Transmitted Chagas Disease.

Timm B, da Gama A, Meuser Batista M, Batista D, Boykin D, de Koning H Pathogens. 2023; 12(5).

PMID: 37242371 PMC: 10224031. DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12050701.

Preclinical Studies and Drug Combination of Low-Cost Molecules for Chagas Disease.

Aguilera E, Sanchez C, Cruces M, Davila B, Minini L, Mosquillo F Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2023; 16(1).

PMID: 36678516 PMC: 9863266. DOI: 10.3390/ph16010020.

Phenotypic Evaluation of Nucleoside Analogues against Infection: In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches.

Fiuza L, Batista D, Girao R, Hulpia F, Finamore-Araujo P, Aldfer M Molecules. 2022; 27(22).

PMID: 36432189 PMC: 9695592. DOI: 10.3390/molecules27228087.

The Impact of the CTHRSSVVC Peptide Upon Experimental Models of Infection.

Leite G, Batista D, Mazzeti A, Silva R, Lugao A, Soeiro M Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2022; 12:882555.

PMID: 35601101 PMC: 9121062. DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.882555.

High-Level Expression in Escherichia coli, Purification and Kinetic Characterization of LAPTc, a Trypanosoma cruzi M17-Aminopeptidase.

Izquierdo M, Aguado M, Zoltner M, Gonzalez-Bacerio J Protein J. 2019; 38(2):167-180.

PMID: 30905022 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-019-09823-w.

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