Drug repurposing and nanoparticles: New strategies against leishmaniasis

Abstract

Abstract Leishmaniasis is a disease caused by protozoa belonging to the genus Leishmania and transmitted by bites of infected fly vectors. There are mainly three forms of leishmaniasis: visceral leishmaniasis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. More than 10 million people worldwide are infected with leishmaniases, which cause morbidity and lethality as part of the neglected diseases group. The drugs available for the treatment of leishmaniasis are highly toxic, are mainly for hospital usage, and have prolonged infusions, even for cutaneous leishmaniasis. For these reasons, and in the absence of an effective and inexpensive vaccine, the need for new effective leishmaniasis drugs is more urgent than ever. On the other hand, there is an increasing interest in the so-called drug repurposing (or drug repositioning) to address both common and rare diseases. Several studies have looked for “old” drugs to treat leishmaniases. This review addresses some of these studies as alternative strategies for the treatment of leishmaniasis.