We have previously reported that curcumin analogs with a C7 linker bearing a C4-C5 olefinic linker with a single keto group at C3 (enone linker) display midnanomolar activity against the bloodstream form of Trypanosoma brucei. However, no clear indication of their mechanism of action or superior antiparasitic activity relative to analogswith the original di-ketone curcumin linker was apparent. ...

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising drugs to kill resistant pathogens. In contrast to bacteria, protozoan parasites, such as Leishmania, were little studied. Therefore, the antiparasitic mechanism of AMPs is still unclear. In this study, we sought to get further insight into this mechanism by focusing our attention on temporin-SHa (SHa), a small broad-spectrum AMP previously shown to be...

The use of biological agents has been intensified in recent years against eggs and larvae of gastrointestinal nematodes as an alternative control method in pasture plant health management, with the concomitant use with antiparasitic drugs still occurring. The aim of this study was to test the in vitro activity of the following antiparasitic drugs: Ivermectin and albendazole against the followin...

BACKGROUND Panama has an extensive mangrove area and it is one of the countries with the highest biodiversity in America. Mangroves are widely used in traditional medicine, nevertheless, there are very few studies that validates their medicinal properties in America. Given the urgent need for therapeutic options to treat several diseases of public health importance, mangrove ecosystem could be ...

Floral landscapes comprise diverse phytochemical combinations. Individual phytochemicals in floral nectar and pollen can reduce infection in bees and directly inhibit trypanosome parasites. However, gut parasites of generalist pollinators, which consume nectar and pollen from many plant species, are exposed to phytochemical combinations. Interactions between phytochemicals could augment or decr...

Leishmaniasis and malaria are serious public health problems in tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide. Development of drug-resistant strains has disrupted efforts to control the spread of these diseases in the world. The conventional antiparasitic chemotherapy still suffers from side effects and drug resistance. Therefore, the development of novel antimalarial and leishmanicidal drugs rem...

Nanoparticles (NPs) have received more attention as antiparasitic agents. In the present study, silver and copper nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The antiparasitic activity of Ag and CuO nanoparticles were tested against two of the most environmentally spread parasites...

Suramin, an antiparasitic drug, has shown antitumor activity in humans. This may occur in part through disruption of energy balance, which is believed to be part of its antiparasitic action. Suramin disrupts mitochondrial function in intact DU145 prostate carcinoma cell monolayers as seen by its causing the release of rhodamine 123 from prestained cells beginning at about 10 microM in 96-well m...

Suramin, an antiparasitic drug, has shown antitumor activity in humans. This may occur in part through disruption of energy balance, which is believed to be part of its antiparasitic action. Suramin disrupts mitochondrial function in intact DUI45 prostate carcinoma cell monolayers as seen by its causing the release of rhodamine 123 from prestained cells beginning at about 10 ~tM in 96-well micr...