Author:
Thompson D. P.,Klein R. D.,Geary T. G.
Abstract
SUMMARYRational approaches to anthelmintic discovery include the design of screens for compounds directed at specific proteins in helminths that are pharmacologically distinguishable from their vertebrate homologues. The existence of several anthelmintics that selectively target the neuromusculature of helminths (e.g. levamisole, ivermectin, praziquantel, metrifonate), together with recent basic research in helminth physiology, have contributed to the recognition that neurobiology distinguishes these organisms from their vertebrate hosts. In this survey, we focus on mechanism-based screening and its application to anthelmintic discovery, with particular emphasis on targets in the neuromusculature of helminths. Few of these proteins have been exploited in chemotherapy. However, recent studies in comparative pharmacology and molecular biology, including theC. elegansgenome project, have provided insights on potential new targets and, in some cases, molecular probes useful for their incorporation in mechanism-based screens.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Subject
Infectious Diseases,Animal Science and Zoology,Parasitology
Cited by
48 articles.
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