Evolution of Acridines and Xanthenes as a Core Structure for the Development of Antileishmanial Agents

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2022

Authors

Silva, CFM (Author) Other; Pinto, DCGA (Author) Other; Pedro A Fernandes (Author) FCUP; Silva, AMS (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Pharmaceuticals

Vol. 455

Final page: 148

ISSN: 1424-8247

Publisher: MDPI

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 10 Citations

Scopus - 11 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00W-1SG

DOI: 10.3390/ph15020148

Abstract (EN): Nowadays, leishmaniasis constitutes a public health issue in more than 88 countries, affecting mainly people from the tropics, subtropics, and the Mediterranean area. Every year, the prevalence of this infectious disease increases, with the appearance of 1.5-2 million new cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis and 500,000 cases of visceral leishmaniasis, endangering approximately 350 million people worldwide. Therefore, the absence of a vaccine or effective treatment makes the discovery and development of new antileishmanial therapies one of the focuses for the scientific community that, in association with WHO, hopes to eradicate this disease shortly. This paper is intended to highlight the relevance of nitrogen- and oxygen-containing tricyclic heterocycles, particularly acridine and xanthene derivatives, for the development of treatments against leishmaniasis. Thus, in this review, a thorough compilation of the most promising antileishmanial acridine and xanthene derivatives is performed from both natural and synthetic origins. Additionally, some structure-activity relationship studies are also depicted and discussed to provide insight into the optimal structural features responsible for these compounds' antileishmanial activity.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 22