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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Investigating the Phagocytosis of Leishmania using Confocal Microscopy
Published on: July 29, 2021
Leishmania treatment and prevention: Natural and synthesized drugs
Adnan A Bekhit1, Eman El-Agroudy2, Aliaa Helmy3
1Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria, 21521, Egypt; Pharmacy Program, Allied Health Department, College of Health Sciences, University of Bahrain, P.O. Box 32038, Bahrain.
Abstract:
Leishmaniasis affects over 150 million people all over the world, especially in subtropical regions. Currently used antileishmanial synthesized drugs are associated with some drawbacks such as resistance and cytotoxicity, which hamper the chances of treatment. Furthermore, effective leishmanial vaccines are not well developed. Promising chemotherapy, either from natural or synthetic compounds, was or still is the most promising treatment. This review focuses on recent findings in drugs used for the treatment of leishmaniasis including; chemical and natural antileishmanial moieties, different potential targets, as well as various trials of vaccination development. Special emphasis has been paid to the mechanisms of the drugs, their safety and where possible, the structure-activity relationship to enable guided future drug discovery.
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