by Assíria Fontes Martins T, de Figueiredo Diniz L, Mazzeti AL, da Silva do Nascimento ÁF, Caldas S, Caldas IS, de Andrade IM, Ribeiro I, Bahia MT. PLOS One, 2015, 10(6):e0128707. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128707. eCollection 2015.
Summary: The nitroheterocyclic drugs nifurtimox and benznidazole are first-line drugs available to treat Chagas disease; however, they have limitations, including long treatment courses and toxicity. Strategies to overcome these limitations include the identification of new drugs with specific target profiles, re-dosing regimens for the current drugs, drug repositioning and combination therapy. The curative action of benznidazole/itraconazole combinations was explored in an established infection in vivo, and results clearly indicate the enhanced effects of these drugs in combination, which also prevented or decreased the typical lesions associated with chronic experimental Chagas disease. These results emphasize the importance of exploring the potential of combination treatments with currently available compounds to specifically treat Chagas disease.
