Instituto de Estudios Avanzados (IDEA), Sartenejas, Baruta, Caracas 1080, Venezuela.
Nat Rev Cardiol. 2012 Oct;9(10):605-9. doi: 10.1038/nrcardio.2012.108. Epub 2012 Aug 7.
Chagas disease has emerged as an important health problem in the Americas and, with globalization, in other parts of the world. Drug therapy for this parasitic infection has remained largely ineffective, especially in chronic stages of the disease. However, developments in experimental therapy might signal an important advance for the management of patients with Chagas disease. Herein, we review studies on the potential use of the benzofuran derivatives amiodarone and dronedarone in patients with Chagas disease. These agents have a dual role, not only as primary antiarrhythmic drugs, but also as antiparasitic agents. We believe that this 'kill two birds with one stone' approach represents a new tactic for the treatment of Chagas disease using currently approved drugs.
恰加斯病已成为美洲地区的一个重要健康问题，随着全球化的发展，也成为世界其他地区的一个重要健康问题。针对这种寄生虫感染的药物治疗在很大程度上仍然效果不佳，尤其是在疾病的慢性阶段。然而，实验治疗的发展可能为恰加斯病患者的治疗带来重要进展。在此，我们综述了苯并呋喃衍生物胺碘酮和决奈达隆在恰加斯病患者中的潜在应用研究。这些药物具有双重作用，不仅是主要的抗心律失常药物，而且还是抗寄生虫药物。我们认为，这种“一石二鸟”的方法代表了使用现有批准药物治疗恰加斯病的新策略。
