Potential Molecular Targets of Leishmania Pathways in Developing Novel Antileishmanials

Abstract

The illness known as leishmaniasis has not become a household name like malaria, although it stands as the second-largest parasitic disease, surpassed only by malaria. As no licensed vaccine is available, treatment for leishmaniasis mostly relies on chemotherapy. Inefficiency and drug resistance are the major impediments in current therapeutics. In this scenario, identification of novel molecular drug candidates is indispensable to develop robust antileishmanials. The exploration of structure-based drugs to target enzymes/molecules of Leishmania which differ structurally/functionally from their equivalents in mammalian hosts not only helps in developing a new class of antileishmanials, but also paves the way to understand Leishmania biology. This review provides a comprehensive overview on possible drug candidates relating to various Leishmania molecular pathways.

Galectins in Protozoan Parasitic Diseases: Potential Applications in Diagnostics and Therapeutics

“…Furthermore, the molecular targets traditionally employed in the process of developing novel drugs, such as cruzain, sterol 14 α-demethylase, trypanothione reductase, and falcipain, have thus far failed to yield new therapeutic options for patients. Consequently, galectins emerge as promising and viable targets for the development of new drugs [44][45][46].…”