Molecular studies on trypanothione reductase, a target for antiparasitic drugs.

Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.

Trypanosoma and Leishmania are parasitic protozoa that cause a variety of diseases, which include African sleeping sickness and oriental sore. Attempts to determine pharmaceutically exploitable differences between host and parasite biochemistry have identified the unique trypanothione pathway as a possible target. This pathway includes the enzyme trypanothione reductase, the parasite analogue of glutathione reductase.

PMID: 1957352 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]