title: Therapeutic potential of phosphodiesterase inhibitors in parasitic diseases.
abstract: Protozoan parasites of the order kinetoplastida are the causative agents of three of the world's most important neglected human diseases: African trypanosomiasis, American trypanosomiasis, and leishmaniasis. Current therapies are limited, with some treatments having serious and sometimes lethal side effects. The growing number of cases that are refractory to treatment is also of concern. With few new drugs in development, there is an unmet medical need for new, more effective, and safer medications. Recent studies employing genetic and pharmacological techniques have begun to shed light on the role of the cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases in the life cycle of these pathogens and suggest that these important regulators of cyclic nucleotide signaling may be promising new targets for the treatment of parasitic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Otsuka Maryland Medicinal Laboratories Inc, 9900 Medical Center Drive, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. yasminshakur@ymail.co
authors.forename: Yasmin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shakur
authors.forename: Harry P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: de Koning
authors.forename: Hengming
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kambayashi
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seebeck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003460:Crystallization; D006801:Humans; D016830:Kinetoplastida / Q000201:enzymology; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D009712:Nucleotides, Cyclic / Q000502:physiology; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D014352:Trypanosomiasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D009712:Nucleotides, Cyclic; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases