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.
Michel Rabinovitch is at the Unité d'Immunoparositologie, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75724 Paris, France.
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