Antiparasitic drugs nitroimidazoles

Chagas disease is caused by a kinetoplastid trypanosoma parasite and affects millions of people in Latin America. The disease is currently incurable. Chemotherapy is based mainly on nitrofuran and nitroimidazole compounds and sterol biosynthesis inhibitors such as ketoconazole (337). Toxicity and high doses are the major problems for these organic drugs. Urbina et al. (338, 339) have found that com-plexation of antiparasitic organic agents such as chloroquine (78)... 

Derivatives of 2-amino-5-nitrothiazole have antiparasitic activity. Niridazole (253) is used in the treatment of schistosomiasis, but its side-effects make it unattractive for treating other diseases, e.g. amoebiasis, for which safer drugs are available. The nitroimidazole metronidazole (254) is particularly useful in amoebiasis and trichomoniasis, and the latter disease may also be treated with nimorazole, l-morpholinoethyl-5-nitroimidazole. 

ANTIPARASITIC AND ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS Metronidazole and related nitroimidazoles are active in vitro against a wide variety of anaerobic protozoal parasites and anaerobic bacteria. The drug also has potent amebicidal activity against E. histolytica. 

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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