emergence of drug resistance in both parasites and vectors. Thus, one of the main contempo-
rary challenges in global health is to find new, efficient and safe alternatives to prevent the
establishment of drug resistance strains. Mexican medicinal plants are recognized as important
sources of therapeutic compounds. Particularly, the present review supports the popular uses
of plants from different regions of Mexico for the treatment of some of the most prevalent
parasitic infections (Figure 1). In addition, it clearly highlights their potential for the isolation
and identification of new antiparasitic molecules. Unfortunately, it is worth noting that most
extracts, fractions, or isolated molecules tested were less or as efficient as the drug of choice for
each pathogen. This could be resolved by chemical modifications of the initial structure to
improve the stability of the molecule and its antiparasitic activity. The identification of the
biochemical targets could also allow the design of more active molecules through bioinformat-
ics screening and docking studies. On the other hand, prospective studies aimed to improve
delivery systemsin vivoshould help to circumvent the drawbacks related to stability, bioavail-
ability, and integrity of natural compounds. Some of these techniques currently used with
phytochemicals include nano- and microencapsulation in polymers of natural or synthetic
origin, or lipids. Another important point is the necessity of toxicity and mutagenicity tests to
confirm the safety of the most promising molecules.
Abbreviations
(^13) C-NMR Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance
ACT Artemisinin-based combination therapy
ADQ Amodiaquine
AS Artesunate
ATM Artemether
CE Chloroform extract
DHA Dihydroartemisinin
ED50 Effective dose 50
ESI-MS/MS Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry
FAB-MS Fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry
HE Hexane extract
IC50 Half maximal inhibitory concentration
LD50 Median lethal dose
LMF Lumefantrine
MC100 Concentration inducing 100% of the maximum response
ME Methanol extract
MeOHe Methanolic extract
MFQ Mefloquine
MIC Minimum inhibitory concentration
MTZ Metronidazole
PPQ Piperaquine
SM50 Security margin 50
WHO World Health Organization
Mexican Medicinal Plants as an Alternative for the Development of New Compounds Against Protozoan Parasites
http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/67259
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