Natural Products in Human Leishmaniasis Therapy: Last Two Years of Research
- Lopez-Arencibia, A.
- Sifaoui, I.
- Reyes-Batlle, M.
- Lorenzo-Morales, J.
- Córdoba-Lanús, E. 1
- Piñero, J.
- Wagner, C.
- Castillo, A.
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1
Universidad de La Laguna
info
- Luis Miguel de Pablos Torró (ed. lit.)
- Jacob-Lorenzo Morales (ed. lit.)
Editorial: University of Granada
ISBN: 978-1-910190-83-8
Año de publicación: 2018
Páginas: 113-130
Tipo: Capítulo de Libro
Resumen
Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne neglected tropical disease caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus and transmitted by the female Phlebotomus and Lutzomyia sand flies. This disease affects the tropical as well as subtropical countries of the world and presents more than one clinical forms, with the visceral one considered fatal. Furthermore, this disease received limited funding for discovery, development and delivery of new tools. Chemotherapy is the major treatment option considered for the control of this disease in the infected people. The currently prescribed therapies still rely on pentavalent antimonials, pentamidine, paromomycin, liposomal amphotericin B, and miltefosine. However, their low efficacy, long-course treatment regimen, high toxicity, adverse side effects, induction of parasite resistance and high cost require the need for better drugs given that antileishmanial vaccines may not be available in the near future. An alternative to synthetic drugs is the search for anti-parasitic plant extracts or secondary metabolites derived from these sources. This chapter examines the later studies on natural bioactive compounds as sources of antileishmanicidal agents.