Natural Products as a Source for Treating Neglected Parasitic Diseases

TLDR

Parasite‑borne infectious diseases threaten global health, affecting over a billion people in tropical regions, and lack a universal antiparasitic drug, so most treatments are derived from natural sources such as plants. This review seeks to summarize plant‑derived pharmaceuticals and their chemical modifications for targeting parasite‑specific traits. It examines how these natural products are chemically altered to disrupt parasite proliferation within the human host.

Abstract

Infectious diseases caused by parasites are a major threat for the entire mankind, especially in the tropics. More than 1 billion people world-wide are directly exposed to tropical parasites such as the causative agents of trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, which represent a major health problem, particularly in impecunious areas. Unlike most antibiotics, there is no "general" antiparasitic drug available. Here, the selection of antiparasitic drugs varies between different organisms. Some of the currently available drugs are chemically de novo synthesized, however, the majority of drugs are derived from natural sources such as plants which have subsequently been chemically modified to warrant higher potency against these human pathogens. In this review article we will provide an overview of the current status of plant derived pharmaceuticals and their chemical modifications to target parasite-specific peculiarities in order to interfere with their proliferation in the human host.