Title:Recent Theoretical Studies Concerning Important Tropical Infections
VOLUME: 27 ISSUE: 5
Author(s):Marcus Tullius Scotti, Alex France Messias Monteiro, Jéssika de Oliveira Viana, Francisco Jaime Bezerra Mendonça Junior, Hamilton M. Ishiki, Ernestine Nkwengoua Tchouboun, Rodrigo Santos A. De Araújo and Luciana Scotti*
Affiliation:Postgraduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraíba, Joao Pessoa - PB, Postgraduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraíba, Joao Pessoa - PB, Postgraduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraíba, Joao Pessoa - PB, Postgraduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraíba, Joao Pessoa - PB, University of Western Sao Paulo (Unoeste), Presidente Prudente, SP, Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaounde IPO Box 812, Yaounde, Laboratory of Synthesis and Drug Delivery, Department of Biological Science, State University of Paraiba, Joao Pessoa, PB, Postgraduate Program in Natural and Synthetic Bioactive Products, Federal University of Paraíba, Joao Pessoa - PB
Keywords:Neglected tropical diseases, leishmaniasis, Trypanosoma cruzi, Trypanosoma brucei, Chagas disease, in
silico.
Abstract:Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) form a group of diseases that are strongly associated
with poverty, flourish in impoverished environments, and thrive best in tropical areas,
where they tend to present overlap. They comprise several diseases, and the symptoms
vary dramatically from disease to disease, often causing from extreme pain, and untold misery
that anchors populations to poverty, permanent disability, and death. They affect more than 1
billion people worldwide; mostly in poor populations living in tropical and subtropical climates.
In this review, several complementary in silico approaches are presented; including
identification of new therapeutic targets, novel mechanisms of activity, high-throughput
screening of small-molecule libraries, as well as in silico quantitative structure-activity relationship
and recent molecular docking studies. Current and active research against Sleeping
Sickness, American trypanosomiasis, Leishmaniasis and Schistosomiasis infections will hopefully
lead to safer, more effective, less costly and more widely available treatments against
these parasitic forms of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in the near future.