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Research Progress of Natural Products and Their Synthetic Derivatives and Formulations in Chemotherapy of Parasitic Diseases

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A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Targeting and Design".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 6950

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Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Natural products play an important role in modern medicine, as many new drugs used today are derived from natural plants, marine or microbial sources. Promising natural substances can be used directly as active compounds or in pharmaceutical formulations against several diseases. Lately, there has been an increased interest in the use of natural products in the search of novel therapeutic agents against parasitic diseases, such as schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, malaria, etc. Additionally, although there are promising natural antiparasitic compounds, some of them may have chemical or biological characteristics that may limit their pharmacological use. To overcome these challenges, synthetic derivatives and pharmaceutical formulations of natural products may be developed to improve their activities. In addition, different approaches to increase and improve the activities of natural compounds in the drug discovery of antiparasitic drugs have been used, such as pharmaceutical formulations, new parasitic targets, semisynthetic derivatives, as well as bioinformatics tools. This thematic issue aims to gather up-to-date knowledge to cover recent research into the antiparasitic activity of natural products, their semi-synthetic natural derivatives, or natural product delivery system formulations for the treatment of antiparasitic diseases.

Prof. Dr. Ademar Alves Da Silva Filho
Guest Editor

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Keywords

natural products
synthetic derivatives
antiparasitic diseases
tropical medicine
nanotechnology
pharmaceutical formulation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2607 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification of Asiaticoside from Centella erecta (Apiaceae) as Potential Apyrase Inhibitor by UF-UHPLC-MS and Its In Vivo Antischistosomal Activity

by Lara Soares Aleixo de Carvalho, Vinícius Carius de Souza, Vinícius C. Rodrigues, Aline Correa Ribeiro, Jorge Willian Leandro Nascimento, Priscila V. S. Z. Capriles, Priscila de F. Pinto, Josué de Moraes and Ademar Alves da Silva Filho

Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(5), 1071; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14051071 - 17 May 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2031

Abstract

Schistosomiasis, caused by parasites of the genus Schistosoma, is a neglected disease with high global prevalence, affecting more than 240 million people in several countries. Praziquantel (PZQ) is the only drug currently available for the treatment. S. mansoni NTPDases (known as SmNTPDases, ATP diphosphohydrolases or ecto-apyrases) are potential drug targets for the discovery of new antischistosomal drugs. In this study, we screen NTPDases inhibitors from Centella erecta (Apiaceae) using an ultrafiltration combined UHPLC-QTOF-MS method and potato apyrase, identifying asiaticoside as one of the apyrase-binding compounds. After isolation of asiaticoside from C. erecta extract, we assessed its in vivo antischistosomal activities against Schistosoma mansoni worms and its in vitro enzymatic apyrase inhibition. Also, molecular docking analysis of asiaticoside against potato apyrase, S. mansoni NTPDases 1 and 2 were performed. Asiaticoside showed a significant in vitro apyrase inhibition and molecular docking studies corroborate with its possible actions in potato apyrase and S. mansoni NTPDases. In mice harboring a patent S. mansoni infection, a single oral dose of asiaticoside (400 mg/kg. p.o.) showed significantly in vivo antischistosomal efficacy, markedly decreasing the total worm load and egg burden, giving support for further exploration of apyrase inhibitors as antischistosomal agents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress of Natural Products and Their Synthetic Derivatives and Formulations in Chemotherapy of Parasitic Diseases)

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Review

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23 pages, 5041 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Advances in the Therapeutic Efficacy of Artesunate

by Ngonidzashe Ruwizhi, Rejoice Bethusile Maseko and Blessing Atim Aderibigbe

Pharmaceutics 2022, 14(3), 504; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics14030504 - 25 Feb 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4263

Abstract

Artesunate, a semisynthetic artemisinin derivative, is well-known and used as the first-line drug for treating malaria. Apart from treating malaria, artesunate has also been found to have biological activity against a variety of cancers and viruses. It also exhibits antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerosis, immunosuppressive activities, etc. During its administration, artesunate can be loaded in liposomes, alone or in combination with other therapeutic agents. Administration routes include intragastrical, intravenous, oral, and parenteral. The biological activity of artesunate is based on its ability to regulate some biological pathways. This manuscript reports a critical review of the recent advances in the therapeutic efficacy of artesunate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research Progress of Natural Products and Their Synthetic Derivatives and Formulations in Chemotherapy of Parasitic Diseases)

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