by Alcântara LM, Ferreira TCS, Fontana V, Chatelain E, Moraes CB, Freitas-Junior LH. Molecules 2020, 25(11): 2551. doi: 10.3390/molecules25112551.
Summary: Development of broad-spectrum antileishmanial drugs is challenging due to the high genetic and phenotypic variability of the parasite. Screening panels consisting of several diverse Leishmania species can be useful for prioritizing compounds based on their spectrum of activity. The authors developed a robust and reproducible high content assay and screened 1280 small molecules against L. amazonensis, L. braziliensis, and L. donovani. The results highlight the reduced number of compound classes with pan-leishmanial activity that might be available from diversity libraries, emphasizing the need to screen active compounds against a panel of species and strains. This assay may be adapted to virtually any Leishmania species in order to facilitate the discovery of broad spectrum anti-leishmanial agents.
