Environment Remediation Tools: Chemosensors and Biosensors

Current leishmaniasis drug discovery

“…4,93 Other enzymes also reported in recent years include proteases, such as cysteine, serine, threonine, and aspartic peptidases, acting in many biochemical processes and being essential for the virulence of the parasite and its ability to enter the host cell, in addition to playing an important role in the autophagy process; glycolytic enzymes, involved in the glycolysis process as the only source of ATP generation of Leishmania species and other African trypanosomes since the parasite lacks a functional Krebs cycle; 91 enzymes involved in folate biosynthesis, an essential cofactor for amino acid metabolism and synthesis of nucleic acids, essential to parasite growth and survival; 94 and enzymes involved in the purine salvage pathway made in mammalian host cells, such as phosphoribosyl transferases and nucleoside diphosphate kinases, since parasitic Leishmania lacks enzymes necessary for de novo synthesis of purine nucleotides. 95 Finally, the most recent studies in this area also include heat shock proteins (HSPs), a family of proteins that provides the correct three-dimensional shape to newly synthesized polypeptides, avoids misfolding and prevents aggregation of proteins, as new druggable targets with great potential, since they play key roles in cell differentiation, infectivity and overall survival of the parasitic protozoan Leishmania in the host cell. Additionally, an intrinsic correlation between the expression of HSPs and drug resistance in Leishmania was demonstrated, and it was presumed that inhibition of HSPs may reserve resistance to their respective drugs.…”

“…Other enzymes also reported in recent years include proteases, such as cysteine, serine, threonine, and aspartic peptidases, acting in many biochemical processes and being essential for the virulence of the parasite and its ability to enter the host cell, in addition to playing an important role in the autophagy process; glycolytic enzymes, involved in the glycolysis process as the only source of ATP generation of Leishmania species and other African trypanosomes since the parasite lacks a functional Krebs cycle; 91 enzymes involved in folate biosynthesis, an essential cofactor for amino acid metabolism and synthesis of nucleic acids, essential to parasite growth and survival; 94 and enzymes involved in the purine salvage pathway made in mammalian host cells, such as phosphoribosyl transferases and nucleoside diphosphate kinases, since parasitic Leishmania lacks enzymes necessary for de novo synthesis of purine nucleotides. 95…”