Human
trypanosomiasis is a
parasitic disease among poor people in Africa and Latin America.
Therapy against African and
American trypanosomiasis is based on a few drugs that often cause severe side-effects. Therefore, it is essential to develop
drug discovery especially from natural origins.
Sesquiterpenes, a diverse group of natural
terpenoids, are found in
essential oils of many plants and show a broad range of bioactivities. They act through multiple mechanisms in the
chemotherapy of
trypanosomiasis. Some of these active compounds contain hydroperoxides,
aldehydes,
alcohols, α,β-unsaturated γ-
lactone and even halogenated moieties. Among the compounds reported,
sesquiterpene lactones showed a potent anti-trypanosoma effect comparable with commercial
trypanocidal drugs. Trypanocidal activity of
sesquiterpene lactones mostly depends on the reaction between γ-
lactone moieties and nucleophile groups of trypanithione, which is essential for Trypanosoma defense against the oxidative stresses.
Elatol is a
sesquiterpenoid from marine algae, with a different structure and considerable trypanocidal activity which could be an interesting candidate for further antiprotozoal investigations. To develop novel drugs with higher efficacy and lower toxicity from natural products, this review summarizes the more recent information on trypanocidal activities of various
sesquiterpenes.