Recent advances in antileishmanial drugs: New leishmaniasis medicine through repurposing approach

Abstract

Leishmania is a parasitic protozoan belonging to the family Trypanosomatidae. Leishmaniasis, caused by infection with Leishmania parasites, can manifest in three primary forms: cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral. Approximately 2 million individuals worldwide are affected by leishmaniasis, with an estimated 0.7–1 million new cases occurring annually and around 20,000–65,000 deaths reported annually. Current chemotherapy for leishmaniasis faces several challenges, including high costs, adverse effects, drug resistance, and disease relapse. Consequently, there is an urgent need for alternative treatments. Drug repurposing presents a promising strategy for discovering and developing new antileishmanial therapeutics. This review aims to explore and summarize recent advances in the identification of antileishmanial drugs, highlighting the successful repurposing of existing drugs for leishmaniasis and their transition from academic research to industrial application. These advancements are primarily based on integrated computational and experimental approaches, including in silico, in vitro, and in vivo screening, as well as biological and biochemical analyses to identify effective antileishmanial agents. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms of action of these new leads and to conduct preclinical and clinical evaluations of the identified drugs for potential antileishmanial therapy.

Keywords

• drug discovery; leishmania; leishmaniasis; neglected tropical disease (ntd); repurposing