Effect of Trichomonacide 6-Nitro-1-benzimidazole Derivative Compounds on Expression Level of Metabolic Genes in .

The parasite is the etiologic agent of trichomoniasis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. This infection often remains asymptomatic and is related to several health complications. The traditional treatment for trichomoniasis is the use of drugs of the 5-nitroimidazole family, such as metronidazole; however, scientific reports indicate an increasing number of drug-resistant strains. Benzimidazole derivatives could offer an alternative in the search for new anti-trichomonas drugs. In this sense, two attractive candidates are the compounds and (1-benzimidazole derivatives), since, through in vitro tests, they have shown a higher trichomonacide activity. In this study, we determined the effect on the expression level of metabolic genes in . The results show that genes involved in redox balance (, ) are overexpressed, as well as the gene that participates in the first reaction of glycolysis (); on the other hand, structural genes such as and are decreased in expression in trophozoites treated with the compound , which would probably affect its morphology, motility and virulence. These results align with the trichomonacidal activity of the compounds, with benzimidazole being the most potent, with an IC value of 4.8 μM. These results are promising for potential future therapeutic applications.