Exploration of innovative drug repurposing strategies for combating human protozoan diseases: Advances, challenges, and opportunities

ShanShan Hu; Zahra Batool; Xin Zheng; Yin Yang; Amin Ullah; Bairong Shen

doi:10.1016/j.jpha.2024.101084

Volume 15 Issue 1

Feb. 2025

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ShanShan Hu, Zahra Batool, Xin Zheng, Yin Yang, Amin Ullah, Bairong Shen. Exploration of innovative drug repurposing strategies for combating human protozoan diseases: Advances, challenges, and opportunities[J]. Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis, 2025, 15(1): 101084. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2024.101084

Citation:

ShanShan Hu, Zahra Batool, Xin Zheng, Yin Yang, Amin Ullah, Bairong Shen. Exploration of innovative drug repurposing strategies for combating human protozoan diseases: Advances, challenges, and opportunities[J]. Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis, 2025, 15(1): 101084. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2024.101084

Citation:

ShanShan Hu, Zahra Batool, Xin Zheng, Yin Yang, Amin Ullah, Bairong Shen. Exploration of innovative drug repurposing strategies for combating human protozoan diseases: Advances, challenges, and opportunities[J]. Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis, 2025, 15(1): 101084. doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2024.101084

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Exploration of innovative drug repurposing strategies for combating human protozoan diseases: Advances, challenges, and opportunities

doi: 10.1016/j.jpha.2024.101084

Institutes for Systems Genetics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610213, China

Funds:

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.: 32270690 and 32070671) and the Postdoctor Research Fund of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China (Grant No.: 2024HXBH059).

Received Date: May 09, 2024
Accepted Date: Aug. 22, 2024
Rev Recd Date: Aug. 12, 2024
Publish Date: Aug. 27, 2024

Abstract

Abstract

Protozoan infections (e.g., malaria, trypanosomiasis, and toxoplasmosis) pose a considerable global burden on public health and socioeconomic problems, leading to high rates of morbidity and mortality. Due to the limited arsenal of effective drugs for these diseases, which are associated with devastating side effects and escalating drug resistance, there is an urgent need for innovative antiprotozoal drugs. The emergence of drug repurposing offers a low-cost approach to discovering new therapies for protozoan diseases. In this review, we summarize recent advances in drug repurposing for various human protozoan diseases and explore cost-effective strategies to identify viable new treatments. We highlight the cross-applicability of repurposed drugs across diverse diseases and harness common chemical motifs to provide new insights into drug design, facilitating the discovery of new antiprotozoal drugs. Challenges and opportunities in the field are discussed, delineating novel directions for ongoing and future research.
- Drug repurposing,
- Human protozoan diseases,
- Antiprotozoal drugs,
- Combination therapy,
- Natural products

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References(115)

References

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