Schistosomiasis is ad iseaseo fp overty affecting millionso fp eople. Praziquantel (PZQ),w ith its strengths and weaknesses, is the only treatment available. We previously reported findings on three lead compounds derivedfrom oxamniquine (OXA), an old antischistosomald rug:f errocene-containing (Fc-CH 2-OXA),r uthenocene-containing (Rc-CH 2-OXA) and benzene-containing (Ph-CH 2-OXA) OXA derivatives. These derivatives showed excellent in vitro activity againstb oth Schistosoma mansoni larvae and adult worms and S. haematobium adult worms, and were also active in vivo against adult S. mansoni. Encouraged by these promising results, we conducteda dditional in-depthp reclinical studiesa nd report in this investigation on metabolic stability studies, in vivos tudies on S. haematobium and juvenile S. mansoni,c omputational simulations,a nd formulation development. Molecular dynamicss imulations supportedt he in vitro results on the target protein. Though all three compounds were poorly stable within an acidic environment, they were only slightly cleared in the in vitro liver model. This is likely the reasonw hy the promising in vitro activity did not translate into in vivo activityo nS. haematobium. This limitation could not be overcome by the formulation of lipid nanocapsules as aw ay to improve the in vivo activity. Further studies should focus on increasing the compound's bioavailability,t or each an active concentration in the microenvironment of the parasite.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.