Title:Old Antiprotozoal Drugs: Are They Still Viable Options for Parasitic Infections or New Options for Other Diseases?
Volume: 27
Issue: 32
Author(s): Sandra Cortez-Maya, Antonio Moreno-Herrera, Isidro Palos and Gildardo Rivera*
Affiliation:
- Laboratorio de Biotecnologia Farmaceutica, Centro de Biotecnologia Genomica, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, 88710 Reynosa,Mexico
Keywords:
Parasitic diseases, helminths, protozoa, drugs, design, infections, treatments.
Abstract: Parasitic diseases, caused by helminths (ascariasis, hookworm, trichinosis, and schistosomiasis)
and protozoa (chagas, leishmaniasis, and amebiasis), are considered a serious public
health problem in developing countries. Additionally, there is a limited arsenal of anti-parasitic
drugs in the current pipeline and growing drug resistance. Therefore, there is a clear need for the
discovery and development of new compounds that can compete and replace these drugs that have
been controlling parasitic infections over the last decades. However, this approach is highly resource-
intensive, expensive and time-consuming. Accordingly, a drug repositioning strategy of the
existing drugs or drug-like molecules with known pharmacokinetics and safety profiles is alternatively
being used as a fast approach towards the identification of new treatments. The artemisinins,
mefloquine, tribendimidine, oxantel pamoate and doxycycline for the treatment of helminths, and
posaconazole and hydroxymethylnitrofurazone for the treatment of protozoa are promising candidates.
Therefore, traditional antiprotozoal drugs, which were developed in some cases decades ago,
are a valid solution. Herein, we review the current status of traditional anti-helminthic and antiprotozoal
drugs in terms of drug targets, mode of action, doses, adverse effects, and parasite resistance
to define their suitability for repurposing strategies. Current antiparasitic drugs are not only
still viable for the treatment of helminth and protozoan infections but are also important candidates
for new pharmacological treatments.
