title: Targeting Trypanosoma cruzi platelet-activating factor receptors: scope for the development of novel drugs to treat Chagas Disease.
abstract: Chagas Disease (CD), a tropical parasitic disease caused by the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, accounts for the highest burden of parasitic diseases in the Western hemisphere. Current drug treatments for CD are highly toxic and often ineffective, particularly for the chronic stage of the disease, a fact that clearly emphasizes the importance of identification/validation of molecular targets for the development of new drugs to treat the disease. Here, we review in details the evidences that suggest the existence of specific receptors for platelet-activating factor (PAF) in T. cruzi, the role of PAF on the control of parasite differentiation and the potential of exploring these putative receptors as new targets for the chemotherapy of CD.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga 2752, 90610-000 Porto Alegre-RS, Brazil. dkawano@ufrgs.br
authors.forename: Daniel Fábio
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: Ivone
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000179:Acrylates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010972:Platelet Activating Factor / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D010980:Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000179:Acrylates; D010972:Platelet Activating Factor; D010980:Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; C039351:platelet activating factor receptor; C072577:1-O-hexadecyl-2-acrylyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine