Development of Novel Drugs for the Treatment of Chagas Disease

Abstract

Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a zoonosis caused by the hemoflagellate parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It is mainly transmitted by the bite of blood-sucking insects. It is endemic in Latin America and emerging in the rest of the world, affecting approximately six million people. The drugs Benznidazole and Nifurtimox currently used for its treatment are not totally effective in the chronic phase of the disease. In addition, they are toxic, and there are many resistant Trigonoscuta cruzi strains. Therefore, developing new drugs for the treatment of Chagas disease is necessary. This chapter describes the development of drugs that inhibit α-hydroxy acid dehydrogenase isoenzyme II, a key enzyme in parasite energy metabolism. These drugs have shown more significant trypanocidal activity than the currently used drugs, and they have also prevented the development of chronic Chagas disease in infected mice.