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Sesquiterpene Lactones pp 223–240Cite as

Mode of Action on Trypanosoma and Leishmania spp.

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Abstract

In this chapter, the most common molecular targets and mechanisms of action of anti-trypanosomatid drugs are described: biosynthesis of sterols, trypanothione pathway, purine salvage pathway, cysteine proteinases, trans-sialidase, metallocarboxypeptidases, tubulin, calcium homeostasis and pyrophosphate metabolism, heme uptake and degradation, glycolytic pathway, DNA interaction, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Interaction of the sesquiterpene lactones with hemin, the induction of oxidative stress, the inhibition of enzymes as cruzipain and trypanothione reductase, the apoptosis induction and the ability of this type of compounds to inhibit sterol biosynthesis will be also discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Química Biológica, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María E. Lombardo

  2. CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires, Centro de Investigaciones sobre Porfirinas y Porfirias (CIPYP), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    María E. Lombardo & Alcira Batlle

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  1. María E. Lombardo
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  2. Alcira Batlle
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Correspondence to María E. Lombardo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Buenos Aires, CONICET University of Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Valeria Patricia Sülsen

  2. University of Buenos Aires, CONICET University of Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Virginia Susana Martino

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Lombardo, M.E., Batlle, A. (2018). Mode of Action on Trypanosoma and Leishmania spp.. In: Sülsen, V., Martino, V. (eds) Sesquiterpene Lactones. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78274-4_10

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