Fighting Tropical Neglected Diseases with Natural Products: New Approaches Against Ancient Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Tropical neglected diseases (NTDs) affect over a billion people worldwide, especially in low-income regions with limited access to healthcare. Diseases like leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, and schistosomiasis cause significant suffering and mortality, trapping communities in poverty. Current treatments are often outdated, toxic, and increasingly ineffective due to drug resistance. There is an urgent need for new strategies, particularly those focused on discovering novel drug candidates. This Special Issue welcomes innovative approaches based on natural products—such as fully characterized extracts, essential oils, enriched fractions, and isolated compounds—including high-throughput screening, combined drug therapy, drug delivery systems, structure–activity relationship studies, and the identification of potential biochemical targets and mechanisms of action elucidation. Addressing NTDs through these efforts is crucial for improving global health, reducing the disease burden, and fostering economic development in affected regions.

Dr. Igor Rodrigues
Prof. Dr. André Luis Souza dos Santos
Dr. Dirlei Nico
Dr. Ana Claudia Fernandes Amaral
Guest Editors

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