Despite being the focus of much recent research, it is estimated that over 400 million people are currently infected with malaria, schistosomiasis or hookworm. As an attempt to help remedy this, scientists in the US have developed a hybrid drug that is active against all three of these parasitic diseases.
Over 400 million people are infected with malaria, schistosomiasis or hookworm (shown)
Although a variety of approaches have been developed for the treatment of these diseases, there are often toxic side effects associated with the drugs and widespread resistance to frequently used molecules has developed. To help improve the drugs on offer for those infected, Bryan Mott at the National Institutes of Health, and co-workers, have been investigating combined therapeutics, which can be especially useful for multiple parasites endemic in the same region.
The group developed a hybrid drug containing two heterocycles: furoxan and quinoline. The researchers had previously seen that furoxan had demonstrated significant anti-parasitic activity and quinoline has also shown promise in the chemotherapy of a variety of other diseases. It is likely that quninoline works by a different, perhaps complimentary, mechanism to furoxan, therefore the group’s rationale was that the combination of the two molecules could be beneficial.
Read the full story in Chemistry World
And read the full MedChemComm paper here:
A furoxan–amodiaquine hybrid as a potential therapeutic for three parasitic diseases
Bryan T. Mott et al.
DOI: 10.1039/C2MD20238G
