Atividade leishmanicida de compostos de coordenação : revisão da literatura e perspectivas

Abstract

The incorporation of Inorganic Chemistry in the medicinal area was favored due to the scientific insistence on coordination compounds with fungicidal, bactericidal, antiviral, antitumor and antiparasitic activity. So, these studies boosted the theoretical foundation necessary for the evolution of knowledge and reduction of cases of diseases that were previously incurable. Metal complexes are widely studied to obtain a compound with good efficacy in combating certain pathologies, including neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that have become a global health problem and affects millions of people, especially in developing countries. Leishmaniasis, as an NTD, is transmitted by female sand flies contaminated with the parasite Leishmania spp. Upon entering the bloodstream, this protozoan proliferates inside phagocytic cells and causes their apoptosis. The spread throughout the body can lead to clinical variations of the disease, which damage the skin, mucosa and even organs. Therefore, the objective is to search for an advantageous, efficient, and safe medicine for the treatment of these diseases since current therapies need replacement. With this objective, the current work presents in an exploratory way the metallic complex, among them there are the so-called non-essential metals and those essential to human life, as potential antileishmaniasis agents and their mechanisms of action.