Antiprotozoal Activity of Natural Products

Dear Colleagues, Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), caused by protozoan parasites, are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among the world’s low-income populations. They affect more than 1 billion people worldwide, causing around 500000 deaths each year and social discrimination and physical suffering. Of the 17 major NTDs, the life-threatening diseases Leishmaniasis, Malaria, Chagas disease, and human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) are considered the most challenging due to their limited therapeutic options and high mortality rates. The absence of eagerly desired vaccines and the availability of limited chemotherapeutics, some with reduced efficacy and considerable drawbacks, hinder the efficient treatment of these diseases. Therefore, the discovery and development of novel effective, safe, and inexpensive antiprotozoal agents remain an urgent need. In this scenario, natural products can play an important role as potential lead compounds as they might have advantages over conventional chemical-based drugs (e.g., fewer drawbacks, better bioavailability, and less long-term toxicity). On this basis, this Special Issue is designed to gather review papers and original articles dealing with the potential antiprotozoal activities of plant secondary metabolites, including different classes such as terpenoids, alkaloids and phenolics. The Special Issue welcomes contributions on the following topics: Phytochemical analysis and biological evaluation (in vitro and/or in vivo studies) of plant extracts/essential oils and isolated compounds. Mode of action studies of natural products. Structure-activity relationships studies including hemi-synthesized molecules. Synergistic and antagonistic studies of mixtures of natural products Development of new anti-protozoal agent formulations Prof. Dr. Filippo Maggi Dr. Riccardo Petrelli Guest Editors