Singh Vishal Kumar, Tiwari Rahul, Kumar Awnish, Chauhan Shashi Bhushan, Sudarshan Medhavi, Mehrotra Sanjana, Gautam Vibhav, Sundar Shyam, Kumar Rajiv
Centre of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Institute of Medical Sciences Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005, U.P., India.
Department of Zoology, Jagat Narayan Lal College, Patliputra University, Khagaul, Patna-801105, India.
ACS Infect Dis. 2025 Jan 10;11(1):47-68. doi: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00693. Epub 2024 Dec 31.
Protozoan parasite infections, particularly leishmaniasis, present significant public health challenges in tropical and subtropical regions, affecting socio-economic status and growth. Despite advancements in immunology, effective vaccines remain vague, leaving drug treatments as the primary intervention. However, existing medications face limitations, such as toxicity and the rise of drug-resistant parasites. This presents an urgent need to identify new therapeutic targets for leishmaniasis treatment. Understanding the complex life cycle of and its survival in host macrophages can provide insights into potential targets for intervention. Current treatments, including antimonials, amphotericin B, and miltefosine, are constrained by side effects, costs, resistance, and reduced efficacy. Exploring novel therapeutic targets within the parasite's physiology, such as key metabolic enzymes or essential surface proteins, may lead to the development of more effective and less toxic drugs. Additionally, innovative strategies like drug repurposing, combination therapies, and nanotechnology-based delivery systems could enhance efficacy and combat resistance, thus improving anti-leishmanial therapies.
原生动物寄生虫感染，尤其是利什曼病，在热带和亚热带地区给公共卫生带来了重大挑战，影响着社会经济地位和发展。尽管免疫学取得了进展，但有效的疫苗仍然不明确，药物治疗仍是主要的干预措施。然而，现有的药物存在局限性，如毒性和耐药寄生虫的出现。这迫切需要确定利什曼病治疗的新靶点。了解其复杂的生命周期及其在宿主巨噬细胞中的存活情况，可以为潜在的干预靶点提供线索。目前的治疗方法，包括锑剂、两性霉素B和米替福新，受到副作用、成本、耐药性和疗效降低的限制。探索寄生虫生理学中的新治疗靶点，如关键代谢酶或必需表面蛋白，可能会开发出更有效、毒性更小的药物。此外，药物再利用、联合疗法和基于纳米技术的给药系统等创新策略可以提高疗效并对抗耐药性，从而改善抗利什曼病治疗。
