Amazon Rainforest: A Natural Source for New Therapeutic Alternatives against Neglected Tropical Diseases

Abstract

The Amazon rainforest has wide and unique biodiversity, which is an important source of natural products for the development of drugs. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) represent a major health problem as they affect over 1 billion people, especially vulnerable populations living in tropical and subtropical regions. Currently available drugs are generally inadequate for the majority of these diseases, thus, there is an urgent need for new treatments. The present review aims to summarize up-to-date and comprehensive information on the efficacy of the Amazon plants, about treating certain neglected tropical diseases. According to the literature information, several compounds (phenolics, alkaloids, terpenoids and steroids, among others) which were isolated from plants of the Amazon forest showed in vitro activity against Leishmania sp., Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasites responsible for leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, respectively. Moreover, extracts, and essential oil from certain plants were reported to have mosquito repellent and insecticidal activities against Aedes aegypti, the vector of dengue, and chikungunya. This review demonstrated that the Amazonian rainforest is endowed with pharmacologically active plants which can be used as a starting point for the development of new drugs against NTDs, such as leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, dengue, chikungunya.

Alternative Approaches for the Treatment of Chagas Disease

“…As per the World Health Organization (WHO) reports there are more than 20 Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) which contains several contagious illnesses of tropical and subtropical regions including Buruli ulcer, [1] chagas disease, [2] dengue, chikungunya, [3] dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease), [4] echinococcosis, [5] foodborne trematodes, [6] human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), [7] leishmaniasis, [8] leprosy (Hansen's disease), [9] lymphatic filariasis etc. To combat NTDs, the WHO) has implemented five main management approaches: enhanced water and sanitation, vector control, increased disease management, preventative chemotherapy, and neglected zoonotic illnesses.…”

Clarisia racemosa: phytochemical characterization and biological activities a brief literature review

“…The Amazon rainforest region is renowned for its exceptional plant diversity, with approximately 30,000 species (Silva Santos et al, 2022). Although many studies have documented the presence of secondary metabolites in Amazonian plants, our current understanding of the chemical diversity in this ecosystem remains limited due to the vast number of species.…”

Extracts from the Leaf of Couroupita guianensis (Aubl.): Phytochemical, Toxicological Analysis and Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities against Oral Microorganisms

“…Recognizing the value of these resources, the region encourages their conservation by integrating various economic and social interests while prioritizing the preservation of its unique ecosystem. With its exceptional biodiversity, the Legal Amazon is at the forefront of herbal medicine research, offering extensive possibilities for discovering new drugs owing to the unparalleled availability of chemical diversity [ 5 ].…”