New Compounds for the Management of Trypanosoma brucei Infection

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei causes human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), a fatal and neglected disease in the tropic areas. Owing to the scarcity of investments, new drug approvals, and resistance development to the current drugs, novel and selective targets are urgently needed to be explored. Trypanothione reductase, nitro-reductase, pteridine reductase 1, methionyl-tRNA synthetase, phosphodiesterases, and rhodesain represent emerging and attractive enzymes for the development of alternative anti-parasitic agents. The structure-activity relationships for each target were discussed as well as the correlation between in vitro and cell-based assays. These compounds could provide new therapeutic options for the limited arsenal of antitrypanosomal agents and are characterized by a good selectivity profile in terms of cytotoxicity against mammalian cells.