The 3D pharmacophore modeling to explore new antischistosomal agents among US FDA approved drugs.

To identify potential antischistosomal agents through 3D pharmacophore-based virtual screening of US FDA approved drugs. A comprehensive virtual screening was conducted on a dataset of 10,000 FDA approved drugs, employing praziquantel as a template. Promising candidates were selected and assessed for their impact on viability and using infected mice. Among the selected drugs, betamethasone and doxazosin demonstrated efficacy, with effective concentration 50% (EC) values ranging from 35 to 60 μM. studies revealed significant (>50%) reductions in worm burden for both drugs. These findings suggest that betamethasone and doxazosin hold promise for repurposing in treating schistosomiasis. Additionally, the study showcases a useful approach for identifying new antischistosomal drugs.