Metabolomic-based strategies for anti-parasite drug discovery

Metabolomics-based studies are proving of great utility in the analysis of modes of action (MOAs) and resistance mechanisms of drugs in parasitic protozoa. They have helped to determine the MOA of eflornithine, half of the gold standard combination therapy in use against human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), as well as the mechanism of resistance to this drug. In Leishmania, metabolomics has also given insight into the MOA of miltefosine, an alkylphospholipid. Several studies on antimony resistance in Leishmania have been conducted, analyzing the metabolic content of resistant lines, offering clues as to the MOA of this class of drugs. A study of chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum combined metabolomics techniques with other genetic and proteomic techniques to offer new insight into the role of the PfCRT protein. The MOA and mechanism of resistance to a group of halogenated pyrimidines in Trypanosoma brucei have also recently been elucidated. Effective as metabolomics techniques are, care must be taken in the design and implementation of these experiments, to ensure the resulting data are meaningful. This review outlines the steps required to conduct a metabolomics experiment as well as provide an overview of metabolomics-based drug research in protozoa to date.