Protective mechanisms of helminths against reactive oxygen species are highly promising drug targets

Helminths that are the causative agents of numerous neglected tropical diseases continue to be a major problem for human global health. In the absence of vaccines, control relies solely on pharmacoprophylaxis and pharmacotherapy to reduce transmission and to relieve symptoms. There are only a few drugs available and resistance in helminths of lifestock has been observed to the same drugs that are also used to treat humans. Clearly there is an urgent need to find novel antiparasitic compounds. Not only are helminths confronted with their own metabolically derived toxic and redox-active byproducts but also with the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the host immune system, adding to the overall oxidative burden of the parasite. Antioxidant enzymes of helminths have been identified as essential proteins, some of them biochemically distinct to their host counterpart and thus appealing drug targets. In this review we have selected a few enzymatic antioxidants of helminths that are thought to be druggable.