Metallodrugs for the Treatment of Trypanosomatid Diseases: Recent Advances and New Insights

Trypanosomatid parasites are responsible for many Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). NTDs are a group of illnesses that prevail in low-income populations, such as in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The three major human diseases caused by trypanosomatids are African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. There are known drugs for the treatment of these diseases that are used extensively and are affordable; however, the use of these medicines is limited by several drawbacks such as the development of chemo-resistance, side effects such as cardiotoxicity, low selectivity, and others. Therefore, there is a need to develop new chemotherapeutic against these tropical parasitic diseases. Metal-based drugs against NTDs have been discussed over the years as alternative ways to overcome the difficulties presented by approved antiparasitic agents. The study of late transition metal-based drugs as chemotherapeutics is an exciting research field in chemistry, biology, and medicine due to the ability to develop multitarget antiparasitic agents. The evaluation of the late transition metal complexes for the treatment of trypanosomatid diseases is provided here, as well as some insights about their mechanism of action.