About this Research Topic
Diseases caused by trypanosomatid parasites, such as leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, are prevalent in tropical regions, especially the developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies Chagas disease and leishmaniases as neglected tropical diseases due to the lack of attention from the public health community and the biopharma industry.
Leishmaniases are a group of diseases that affect around 700 000 to 1 million people worldwide annually. Visceral leishmaniasis is considered one of the top parasitic diseases with outbreak and mortality potential. Chagas disease is the fourth cause of death resulting from infectious and parasitic diseases, being considered the disease with the most significant economic impact in Brazil. Analogous to leishmaniasis, few effective therapeutic options are available, with considerable side effects and long treatment periods. The high toxicity and the long-term commitment to the treatment represent the primary limitations to the therapy’s success in the endemic areas, reflected by the low adherence of patients and consequent treatment failure. Moreover, increasing development of parasite resistance to the drugs in current use has been observed. Therefore, there is a strong urge to discover new drugs and therapeutic strategies with fewer side effects, greater bioavailability, and effectiveness against different species/strains of the parasite.
In this context, traditional medicine stands out as an alternative for the treatment of diseases caused by trypanosomatids, considering the use of plants with medicinal properties. However, proper scientific validation is still necessary to support the development of new and feasible plant-based drugs.
This special issue aims to report the new findings on compounds that can efficiently treat diseases caused by trypanosomatids of medical and veterinary importance. We welcome the application of original research and review articles that are not yet published or that are not currently under review by other journals, focusing on the chemical structure of compounds, fractions, pure compounds isolated, synergistic mixtures, and nanoparticles. We also encourage the application of in vitro and in vivo studies analyzing the antiparasitic and immunomodulatory effects of such products. The diseases to be included in this issue are Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. We envision that this special issue will bring valuable insights supporting the search and use of alternative therapies targeting the diseases caused by trypanosomatid parasites.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
Scoping and systematic reviews of Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease treatments;
Adverse effect of drugs;
Mechanism of action of anti-trypanosomatid or immunomodulatory agents;
Novel nanoparticles for the delivery of active compounds against protozoan parasites;
Synergistic activity of compounds;
Pharmacological assays in vitro and in vivo related to anti-trypanosomatid or immunomodulatory activities;
Isolation and identification of active compounds with anti-trypanosomatid or immunomodulatory action;
Therapeutic strategies using natural compounds combined with conventional treatment;
Preclinical and clinical studies evaluating natural compounds or isolates in Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease therapies.
Leishmaniases are a group of diseases that affect around 700 000 to 1 million people worldwide annually. Visceral leishmaniasis is considered one of the top parasitic diseases with outbreak and mortality potential. Chagas disease is the fourth cause of death resulting from infectious and parasitic diseases, being considered the disease with the most significant economic impact in Brazil. Analogous to leishmaniasis, few effective therapeutic options are available, with considerable side effects and long treatment periods. The high toxicity and the long-term commitment to the treatment represent the primary limitations to the therapy’s success in the endemic areas, reflected by the low adherence of patients and consequent treatment failure. Moreover, increasing development of parasite resistance to the drugs in current use has been observed. Therefore, there is a strong urge to discover new drugs and therapeutic strategies with fewer side effects, greater bioavailability, and effectiveness against different species/strains of the parasite.
In this context, traditional medicine stands out as an alternative for the treatment of diseases caused by trypanosomatids, considering the use of plants with medicinal properties. However, proper scientific validation is still necessary to support the development of new and feasible plant-based drugs.
This special issue aims to report the new findings on compounds that can efficiently treat diseases caused by trypanosomatids of medical and veterinary importance. We welcome the application of original research and review articles that are not yet published or that are not currently under review by other journals, focusing on the chemical structure of compounds, fractions, pure compounds isolated, synergistic mixtures, and nanoparticles. We also encourage the application of in vitro and in vivo studies analyzing the antiparasitic and immunomodulatory effects of such products. The diseases to be included in this issue are Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease. We envision that this special issue will bring valuable insights supporting the search and use of alternative therapies targeting the diseases caused by trypanosomatid parasites.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
Scoping and systematic reviews of Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease treatments;
Adverse effect of drugs;
Mechanism of action of anti-trypanosomatid or immunomodulatory agents;
Novel nanoparticles for the delivery of active compounds against protozoan parasites;
Synergistic activity of compounds;
Pharmacological assays in vitro and in vivo related to anti-trypanosomatid or immunomodulatory activities;
Isolation and identification of active compounds with anti-trypanosomatid or immunomodulatory action;
Therapeutic strategies using natural compounds combined with conventional treatment;
Preclinical and clinical studies evaluating natural compounds or isolates in Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease therapies.
Keywords: trypanosomatid, parasite, chagas, leishmaniasis, treatment
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