Therapeutic targets in chagas' disease: A focus on trypanothione reductase

Abstract

The work of Carlos Chagas culminated with the description of the disease that bears his name. His discovery reaches over a century. Since the first reports of this disease, many therapeutic approaches have been developed intending treatment of the disease. However, to date, none therapy has proven to be enough to cure the acute and chronic disease's manifestations without severe adverse effects. Several approaches relying on modern techniques including rational drug design from a potent prototype compound, have achieved relative success. Different routes are used which the main objective is the development of an effective therapy suitable for populations economically disadvantaged. This mini-review highlights some classes of these therapies, mostly in the experimental stage, and discusses many approaches to enzyme inhibition of the protozoan that have proved promising in the fight against Chagas' disease. The specific focus is the enzyme trypanothione reductase.