Virtual Screening of Benzimidazole Derivatives as Potential Triose Phosphate Isomerase Inhibitors with Biological Activity against .

() is a causal agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a "", for which the search for new drugs is a priority. Benzimidazole is a scaffold used to develop antiparasitic drugs; therefore, it is interesting molecule against . In this work, a ligand-based virtual screening (LBVS) of the ZINC15 database was performed. Subsequently, molecular docking was used to predict the compounds with potential binding at the dimer interface of triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) of (TIM). Compounds were selected on binding patterns, cost, and commercial availability for in vitro assays against blood promastigotes. The compounds were analyzed by molecular dynamics simulation on TIM and its homologous human TIM. Finally, the physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties were determined . A total of 175 molecules with docking scores between -10.8 and -9.0 Kcal/mol were obtained. Compound showed the best leishmanicidal activity (IC = 4.04 µM) with a value similar to the reference drug pentamidine (IC = 2.23 µM). Molecular dynamics analysis predicted low affinity for human TIM. Furthermore, the pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of the compounds were suitable for developing new leishmanicidal agents.