title: Nanomedicines against Chagas disease: an update on therapeutics, prophylaxis and diagnosis.
abstract: Chagas disease is a neglected parasitic infection caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. After a mostly clinically silent acute phase, the disease becomes a lifelong chronic condition that can lead to chronic heart failure and thromboembolic phenomena followed by sudden death. Antichagasic treatment is only effective in the acute phase but fails to eradicate the intracellular form of parasites and causes severe toxicity in adults. Although conventional oral benznidazol is not a safe and efficient drug to cure chronic adult patients, current preclinical data is insufficient to envisage if conventional antichagasic treatment could be realistically improved by a nanomedical approach. This review will discuss how nanomedicines could help to improve the performance of therapeutics, vaccines and diagnosis of Chagas disease.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Nanomedicinas, Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Roque Saenz Peña 352, Bernal B1876BXD, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Maria Jose
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Morilla
authors.forename: Eder Lilia
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Romero
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007783:Lactones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D053769:Nanocapsules / Q000737:chemistry; D050997:Nanomedicine / Q000379:methods; D009593:Nitroimidazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D007783:Lactones; D053769:Nanocapsules; D009593:Nitroimidazoles; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents; C427603:lychnopholide; C009999:benzonidazole
keywords: AmBisome; POC; Trypanosoma cruzi; archaeosomes; benznidazole; chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy; microfuidics; nanocapsules; nanomedicine