Diminazene aceturate--An antiparasitic drug of antiquity: Advances in pharmacology & therapeutics.

Diminazene aceturate (C14H15N7.2C4H7NO3) is an aromatic diamidine that was developed more than six decades ago and has been marketed until today for the control of trypanosomiasis. In recent years, however, this trypanocidal compound has been extensively studied with respect to its therapeutic potential and has consequently attracted much interest for the development of further research. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review on diminazene aceturate regarding its pharmacological properties. In this way, databases were searched for articles (ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science and SciFinder) and patents (INPI, USPTO, WIPO, DPMA, SIPO, DERWENT, CIPO and EPO). For the development of this review, 115 articles and 22 patents were selected and analyzed. It was thus possible to highlight several researches that have investigated alternatives in order to improve success in the treatment of animal trypanosomiasis, by using new drugs in associations with diminazene aceturate, as well as looking for new pharmacological applications for this compound, such as leishmanicidal, amebicidal, anti-pneumocystis, anti-rheumatoid arthritis, antihypertensive agent, and mainly as an activator of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. Another pharmacological property still little studied is the inhibition of acid-sensitive ion channels (ASIC1a, ASIC1b, ASIC2a and ASIC3), which are related to the development of various diseases. Collectively, these studies conducted by several research groups extend the use of diminazene aceturate beyond the antitrypanosomal activity and suggest promising new applications.