In Vitro and In Vivo Trypanocidal Efficacy of Synthesized Nitrofurantoin Analogs

• Main Authors: Linous Munsimbwe, Anna Seetsi, Boniface Namangala, David D. N’Da, Noboru Inoue, Keisuke Suganuma
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-06-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: animal trypanosomosis; human African trypanosomiasis; nitrofurantoin analog; trypanocidal drug
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/11/3372

African trypanosomes cause diseases in humans and livestock. Human African trypanosomiasis is caused by <i>Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense</i> and <i>T. b. gambiense</i>. Animal trypanosomoses have major effects on livestock production and the economy in developing countries, with disease management depending mainly on chemotherapy. Moreover, only few drugs are available and these have adverse effects on patients, are costly, show poor accessibility, and parasites develop drug resistance to them. Therefore, novel trypanocidal drugs are urgently needed. Here, the effects of synthesized nitrofurantoin analogs were evaluated against six species/strains of animal and human trypanosomes, and the treatment efficacy of the selected compounds was assessed in vivo. Analogs <b>11</b> and <b>12</b>, containing 11- and 12-carbon aliphatic chains, respectively, showed the highest trypanocidal activity (IC₅₀ < 0.34 µM) and the lowest cytotoxicity (IC₅₀ > 246.02 µM) in vitro. Structure-activity relationship analysis suggested that the trypanocidal activity and cytotoxicity were related to the number of carbons in the aliphatic chain and electronegativity. In vivo experiments, involving oral treatment with nitrofurantoin, showed partial efficacy, whereas the selected analogs showed no treatment efficacy. These results indicate that nitrofurantoin analogs with high hydrophilicity are required for in vivo assessment to determine if they are promising leads for developing trypanocidal drugs.