Current drug therapy and pharmaceutical challenges for Chagas disease

Benznidazole induces in vitro anaerobic metabolism in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes

“…As Chagas disease is still a chronic disease in which the treatment is not entirely effective, Bermudez et al [2] pointed out the need for improvements in the current treatment. The detection of metabolic responses of the parasite when exposed to the drug and therefore the identification of possible resistance or susceptibility [5,28] may help the development of more effective substances.…”

“…Benzinidazole (N-benzyl-2-nitro-1-imidazole acetamide) is the main antiparasitic drug used against Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) as it shows less toxicity to adult patients than nifurtimox [2]. Similarly to other nitroimidazolic drugs, benzinidazole has been chosen as an antiparasitic drug in spite of its undetermined mode of action [3].…”

“…In spite of the great effort in the identification of new drug targets and in the development of new active molecules against this parasite there are only two drugs available for its treatment -benzinidazole and nifurtimox [2].…”

Increasing access to comprehensive care for Chagas disease: development of a patient-centered model in Colombia

“…Consequently, it may take several months for medications from the central level of the MSPS to reach departmental authorities and eventually primary health centers, at which point the medications may have already expired (15). Therefore, benznidazole is often unavailable in endemic areas, so treatment is more commonly provided with nifurtimox, which produces more frequent side effects (25).…”

Docking Study on T. cruzi Trypanothione Reductase and Iron-Superoxide Dismutase Isoforms of a Series of Imidazole-Based Derivatives as an Approach towards the Design of New Potential Inhibitors

“…Currently, only two drugs are available to treat CD in the acute phase: Nifurtimox (NFX) and Benznidazol (BNZ). However, both of them have significant toxic effects and variable clinical efficacy during the chronic phase of CD [3]. For those reasons, there is an urgent necessity to find new compounds that are safer, more effective and more affordable than the existing ones to eradicate T. cruzi, preventing the progression and reducing the risk of transmission of this disease.…”