Insights into Anti-Trypanosomal Agents Based on Synthetic Glycoconjugates

Abstract

Chagas disease is still a worldwide threat, with estimated 6 to 7 million infected people, mainly in Latin America. Current treatments still rely only on benznidazol and nifurtimox, drugs with poor efficacy in chronic infection phase and recognized toxicity. Thus, there is an urgent need for new therapeutic agents against this disease. In this review we present an updated selection over the last decade of synthetic glycoconjugates as anti-trypanosomal agents, properly addressed as monosaccharideand disaccharide-based agents, and multivalent-based derivatives, disclosing relevant methods for their synthesis, along with their activities on T. cruzi and its trans-sialidase (TcTS). In addition, synthetic glycoconjugates as potential vaccines and diagnostic antigens against T. cruzi are also reported.