Leishmanicidal activity of amino acid and peptide esters.
Amino acid and dipeptide esters kill intracellular and isolated L. amazonensis amastigotes. Several o f the compounds also restrict the growth o f mouse lesions after intralesional administration. However, the esters are known to be toxic in vitro for monocytes and certain lymphoid cells. Michel Rabinovitch surveys the mechanisms o f the leishmanicidal activity, describes some structure--activity relationships, and discusses strategies for the design of compounds more selective for the parasite.
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Michel Rabinovitch is at the Unité d'Immunoparositologie, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris, France.