Therapeutic Potential of Marine-Derived Cyclic Peptides as Antiparasitic Agents

Abstract

Parasitic diseases still compromise human health. Some of the currently available therapeutic drugs have limitations considering their adverse effects, questionable efficacy, and long treatment, which have encouraged drug resistance. There is an urgent need to find new, safe, effective, and affordable antiparasitic drugs. Marine-derived cyclic peptides have been increasingly screened as candidates for developing new drugs. Therefore, in this review, a systematic analysis of the scientific literature was performed and 25 marine-derived cyclic peptides with antiparasitic activity (1–25) were found. Antimalarial activity is the most reported (51%), followed by antileishmanial (27%) and antitrypanosomal (20%) activities. Some compounds showed promising antiparasitic activity at the nM scale, being active against various parasites. The mechanisms of action and targets for some of the compounds have been investigated, revealing different strategies against parasites.

Probing the Antiplasmodial Properties of Plakortinic Acids C and D: An Uncommon Pair of Marine Peroxide-Polyketides Isolated from a Two-Sponge Association of Plakortis symbiotica and Xetospongia deweerdtae Collected near Puerto Rico

“…The oceans harbor a rich reservoir of bioactive compounds with potential therapeutic properties against various diseases, including malaria [ 36 , 37 ]. Marine-derived compounds exhibit antimalarial activity through different mechanisms, such as disrupting parasite metabolism or interfering with essential cellular processes [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. Their exploration offers hope for overcoming drug resistance, a pressing challenge in malaria treatment.…”

What is the role of microbial biotechnology and genetic engineering in medicine?

“…Their life cycle is equally complex, with some establishing a permanent relationship with humans and others going through a series of developmental stages in various animal hosts (Murray et al, 2021 ). There are no treatments for all parasites, and the development of resistance to antiparasitic agents complicates the prevention and treatment of many infections involving these organisms (Ribeiro et al, 2023 ). The difficulties in treating parasitic diseases largely stem from the fact that both the cells of the human host and the parasite are eukaryotic and, therefore, share the same targets for a given compound.…”

Zilucoplan: A Newly Approved Macrocyclic Peptide for Treatment of Anti-Acetylcholine Receptor Positive Myasthenia Gravis

“…The rewards of cyclization, combined with the intrinsic and unique characteristics of peptides, make cyclic peptides very attractive molecules for the development of new drugs with diverse biological activities [64,77]. Most of the cyclic peptides were explored as antimicrobial and anticancer agents [78][79][80][81].…”