Potential therapeutic targets and the role of technology in developing novel antileishmanial drugs.
Leishmaniasis is the most prevalent pathogenic disease in many countries around the world, but there are few drugs available to treat it. Most antileishmanial drugs available are highly toxic, have resistance issues or require hospitalization for their use; therefore, they are not suitable for use in most of the affected countries. Over the past decade, the completion of the genomes of many human pathogens, including that of Leishmania spp., has opened new doors for target identification and validation. Here, we focus on the potential drug targets that can be used for the treatment of leishmaniasis and bring to light how recent technological advances, such as structure-based drug design, structural genomics, and molecular dynamics (MD), can be used to our advantage to develop potent and affordable antileishmanial drugs.
College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Rajalakshmi
R
Rajasekaran
College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. Electronic address: phoebe.chen@latrobe.edu.au.
Yi-Ping Phoebe
YP
Chen
D000818:Animals; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D015195:Drug Design; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods*; D004351:Drug Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D018503:Genome, Protozoan; D023281:Genomics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007891:Leishmania / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D007896:Leishmaniasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000469:parasitology; D062105:Molecular Docking Simulation; D015394:Molecular Structure; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D014344:Trypanocidal Agents