Role of Antidepressants Against Leishmaniasis

Abstract

The disease, Leishmaniasis is a forlorn, tropical, vector-borne disease caused by the kinetoplast protozoan, an obligate intracellular parasite of the class Leishmania, which is transmitted by the nibble of female sandfly (Phlebotomus). Leishmaniasis is an incurable rare disease, since the organism developed resistance towards the currently used drugs, including pentavalent antimonials, amphotericin B and miltefosine. The mechanisms involved in drug resistance include reduced expression and mutations in AQP1, mutations in miltefosine transporters like, LMT and/or LRos3 and increased expression of drug efflux transporters like, ABC transporters in the parasitic cells. Hence alternate therapeutics against leishmaniasis is the need of the hour. Here we discuss the therapeutic potential of antidepressants as potential antileishmanial agents.