Abstract
Infectious diseases caused by parasites are a major threat for the entire mankind, especially in the tropics. More than 1 billion people world-wide are directly exposed to tropical parasites such as the causative agents of trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, which represent a major health problem, particularly in impecunious areas. Unlike most antibiotics, there is no “general” antiparasitic drug available. Here, the selection of antiparasitic drugs varies between different organisms. Some of the currently available drugs are chemically de novo synthesized, however, the majority of drugs are derived from natural sources such as plants which have subsequently been chemically modified to warrant higher potency against these human pathogens. In this review article we will provide an overview of the current status of plant derived pharmaceuticals and their chemical modifications to target parasite-specific peculiarities in order to interfere with their proliferation in the human host.
Highlights
Infectious diseases have a significant impact in human heath stock
Human pathogens of the genus Leishmania and Trypanosoma are restricted to several species causing Chagas disease (Trypanosoma cruzi), sleeping sickness (T. brucei) and leishmaniosis
Synthetic compound derived from chromenes isolated from Piper aduncum and Piper gaudichaudianum; 2 Intraperitoneally, twice daily for 3 days; 3 per os, twice daily for 3 days; 4 Balb/c infected with L. amazonensis and treated for 28 days; 5 African green monkey kidney fibroblast
Summary
A variety of these diseases are caused by parasites that belong to the diseases of poverty or the so-called neglected tropical diseases Amongst others, these include the causative agents of trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. The current situation is aggravated by the fact that most people living in the endemic countries have a low-income profile, making the pharmaceutical market for the development of new medications financially unattractive to the private-research sector. Natural sources, such as plants, represent a major opportunity to discover new lead molecules [1,2,3,4]. In this review we will shed light on the discovery and application of natural plant derived products on human neglected diseases
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