Atividade de fármaco selecionado in silico sobre epimastigotas de Trypanosoma cruzi

Abstract

The parasite known as Trypanosoma cruzi is the cause of Chagas disease, which has been classified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization. Even though there are drugs used in the treatment of the disease, the side effects that ocurre are so overwhelming that most pacientes discontinue the treatment, creating a need for the search of new alternatives. This study utilizes in silico analysis to identify proteins from the parasite´s energy metabolism, which are absent in humans, as potential therapeutic targets in order to minimize side effects. Public databases such as TDR Targets, TriTrypDB and DrugBank, were utilized in the selection of these targets, resulting in the selection of six pharmaceuticals, acyclovir being the most promising. The activity was analyzed over its impact on the growth of the epimastigote form of T. cruzi strain Dm28c, over 72 hours to determine the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). We concluded that acyclovir had not show activity against the parasite under the studie conditions.