Target identification and intervention strategies against amebiasis

Significance of amebiasis: 10 reasons why neglecting amebiasis might come back to bite us in the gut

“…Diloxanide furoate is of very limited availability and significant safety concerns exist with the use of iodoquinol, which has been associated with the development of optic neuritis and peripheral neuropathy [51]. The revival of drugs historically found to have antiamebic activity, such as anisomycin and prodigiosin, and the repurposing of existing drugs already approved for other therapeutic indications with secondary antiamebic properties, such as mefloquine, are alternative strategies currently under active investigation [52]. Furthest along into clinical drug development among these repurposed drugs is the gold compound, auranofin, which targets thioredoxin reductase in E .…”

“…Auranofin was previously used in the management of selected patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but further safety analysis is needed to inform whether established concerns such as diarrhea, rash, and bone marrow toxicity will limit its use as an antiparasitic agent [53]. Lastly, several bioactive natural compounds, such as flavinoids and curcumins, have potential antiamebic effect but are much in need of further characterization and are a long way from potential clinical application [54], as recently reviewed [52]. There has really been little progress made in drug development over the past 60 years [55], despite priorities set by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop drugs for the treatment of category B biodefense pathogens [52].…”

“…Lastly, several bioactive natural compounds, such as flavinoids and curcumins, have potential antiamebic effect but are much in need of further characterization and are a long way from potential clinical application [54], as recently reviewed [52]. There has really been little progress made in drug development over the past 60 years [55], despite priorities set by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop drugs for the treatment of category B biodefense pathogens [52]. The ability to successfully treat amebiasis in the future is unpredictable, and there is an urgent need for effective therapies.…”

“…Other amebic antigenic virulence factors, such as the serine-rich E . histolytica protein, hold potential as vaccine candidates but are also a long way from clinical development for use in humans, as recently reviewed [52]. Without an effective vaccine, control relies on targeting prevention of transmission by fecal–oral spread.…”

Editorial: Recent Progresses in Amebiasis

“…Moreover, partial resistance to MTZ has also been described in some clinical strains of E. histolytica , suggesting the emergence of MTZ resistant strains (Bansal et al, 2004; Iyer et al, 2017). Thus, these observations have led to the search for new drugs with targets and modes of action distinct from those of MTZ [for a recent review see (Nagaraja and Ankri, 2019)]. In this RT, three studies based on drug screening have been published.…”