Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt,
Parasitol Res. 2014 Jul;113(7):2425-33. doi: 10.1007/s00436-014-3969-7. Epub 2014 Jun 4.
In absence of vaccines for the majority of helminths, chemotherapy is still the mainstay for controlling human helminthiases. However, a limited number of drugs are available in the market to combat parasitic helminths in human. Besides, the development and spread of drug resistance have declined the use of most currently available anthelmintics. Clearly, availability of new anthelmintic agents will be essential in the next few years. More research into the mechanisms of drug actions and their targets are eminent for the discovery and development of novel anthelmintic agents. Recent drug discovery techniques mostly rely on mechanism-based screening of compounds on heterologously expressed targets in bacterial, mammalian or yeast cells. Although this is usually a successful approach, it is money- and time-consuming; meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies prefer the tested target that is chosen based on basic research. The nervous system is the site of action of several chemotherapeutics including pesticides and antinematode drugs; accordingly, the nervous system continues to be a promising target. Recent advances in exploring helminths' nervous system, neurotransmitters and receptors have paved the way for the development of potential agents targeting the nervous system and its components.
由于大多数蠕虫没有疫苗，化疗仍然是控制人类蠕虫病的主要方法。然而，市场上可用于对抗人体寄生虫蠕虫的药物数量有限。此外，耐药性的发展和传播降低了大多数现有驱虫药物的使用。显然，在未来几年内，新的驱虫药物将是必不可少的。更多关于药物作用机制及其靶点的研究对于发现和开发新型驱虫药物至关重要。最近的药物发现技术主要依赖于在细菌、哺乳动物或酵母细胞中异源表达的靶标上基于机制的化合物筛选。虽然这通常是一种成功的方法，但它既费钱又费时；同时，制药公司更喜欢根据基础研究选择经过测试的靶标。神经系统是包括杀虫剂和抗线虫药物在内的几种化疗药物的作用部位；因此，神经系统仍然是一个有希望的靶标。最近在探索蠕虫神经系统、神经递质和受体方面的进展为开发针对神经系统及其成分的潜在药物铺平了道路。
