Title:Hybrid-Compounds Against Trypanosomiases
Volume: 23
Issue: 14
Author(s): Jessica Alves Nunes and Edeildo Ferreira da Silva-Júnior*
Affiliation:
- Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Federal University of Alagoas, 57072-970, Maceió, Brazil
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, 57072-970, Maceió, Brazil
Keywords:
Neglected tropical diseases, Chagas disease, human African trypanosomiasis, molecular hybridization, rational drug design, trypanocidal activity.
Abstract: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a global public health problem associated with
approximately 20 conditions. Among these, Chagas disease (CD), caused by Trypanosoma cruzi,
and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), caused by T. brucei gambiense or T. brucei
rhodesiense, affect mainly the populations of the countries from the American continent and sub-
Saharan Africa. Pharmacological therapies used for such illnesses are not yet fully effective. In this
context, the search for new therapeutic alternatives against these diseases becomes necessary. A
drug design tool, recently recognized for its effectiveness in obtaining ligands capable of modulating
multiple targets for complex diseases, concerns molecular hybridization. Therefore, this review
aims to demonstrate the importance of applying molecular hybridization in facing the challenges of
developing prototypes as candidates for the treatment of parasitic diseases. Therefore, studies involving
different chemical classes that investigated and used hybrid compounds in recent years
were compiled in this work, such as thiazolidinones, naphthoquinones, quinolines, and others.
Finally, this review covers several applications of the exploration of molecular hybridization as a
potent strategy in the development of molecules potentially active against trypanosomiases, in order
to provide information that can help in designing new drugs with trypanocidal activity.
