Leishmaniasis is considered by the World Health Organization to be one of
the world’s most neglected diseases. The current drugs used to treat leishmaniasis were
developed more than 40 years ago and are toxic. In addition, they generate resistance,
and coinfection with the AIDS virus has worsened the situation of this disease. The
purpose of this chapter is to review the various synthetic compounds described between
2002 and 2012 that have been tested against Leishmania spp. and that could be
considered possible prototypes for treating this disease. Compounds were organized into
20 chemical classes.
Keywords: Leishmaniasis, prototypes, synthesis.
