Fighting Multiparasitism, a Neglected Reality in Marginalised Community: New Tools from the Sea

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), caused by several parasitic agents (Plasmodium spp., Schistosoma spp., Leishmania spp.), are still characterized by a high morbidity percentage worldwide. The therapeutic alternatives for neglected pathologies are very limited, first due to the drug-resistance phenomena but also due to unfavourable toxicity profiles and the difficult administration procedures of the few available chemical entities. A further drawback is represented by multiparasitism, namely the concurrent infestation of a single host by more than one parasite species, which poses additional diagnostic and therapeutic challenges [1]. In this view, a research aimed to discover a new chemical entity active against several parasites is crucial and the marine environment may be important resource [2]. As part of our own continuing search for new leads in the treatment of NTDs [3–5] we have explored the anti infective properties of the sponge derived metabolites avarone and avarol, as well as those of the semisynthetic thiazoavarone, obtained by converting the quinone avarone in the relevant thiazinoquinone. All compounds were shown to be active against the D10 and W2 strains of P. falciparum, the juvenile and adult forms of the worm S. mansoni, and both the promastigote and amastigote stages of L. infantum and L. tropica.