Leishmaniasis: Drug resistance and natural products (Review)

  • Authors:
    • Tilman Polonio
    • Thomas Efferth
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: September 1, 2008     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm_00000020
  • Pages: 277-286
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Abstract

Epidemics of fatal visceral leishmaniasis caused by the intracellular protozoan Leishmania are a severe public health problem in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. One major drawback in the treatment of leishmaniasis is the emergence of resistance to current chemotherapeutics. Leishmanicidals have to be administered in low doses since commonly used drugs exhibit severe side effects, and hence drug resistance can appear rapidly. Since, to date, vaccination approaches have failed to enter clinical trials, chemotherapy based on small molecules is temporarily the exclusive treatment strategy. There is an urgent need for adding novel drugs with improved features to the pool of current chemotherapeutics. Many compounds derived from natural sources have pharmacological activities and may, thus, be of potential utility in drug development and biomedical research. Natural products, primarily plant-derived substances of diverse structural classes, have been described in the literature showing anti-leishmanial properties. In this review we provide a brief overview of the current treatment and the active principles of established drugs. Furthermore, we focus on the mechanisms of drug resistance and natural products that are promising leads for the development of novel chemotherapeutics.

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September 2008
Volume 22 Issue 3

Print ISSN: 1107-3756
Online ISSN:1791-244X

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Spandidos Publications style
Polonio T and Efferth T: Leishmaniasis: Drug resistance and natural products (Review). Int J Mol Med 22: 277-286, 2008.
APA
Polonio, T., & Efferth, T. (2008). Leishmaniasis: Drug resistance and natural products (Review). International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 22, 277-286. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm_00000020
MLA
Polonio, T., Efferth, T."Leishmaniasis: Drug resistance and natural products (Review)". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 22.3 (2008): 277-286.
Chicago
Polonio, T., Efferth, T."Leishmaniasis: Drug resistance and natural products (Review)". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 22, no. 3 (2008): 277-286. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm_00000020