Evaluation of antileishmanial activity of synthetized thiazolidinone compounds

The leishmaniases are a group of vector-borne parasitic diseases that affect many third world countries including parts of Africa, India, and the Middle East in addition to Southern Europe. It is estimated that worldwide, there are about 3 million new cases of leishmaniases each year leading to as many as 50,000 fatalities annually. There are three clinical forms of the infection: visceral, which is fatal if left untreated and can cause enlargement of spleen and liver; cutaneous, which causes skin lesions and ulcers; and mucocutaneous which destroys the mucus membranes of the nose and/or mouth. The parasite that causes leishmaniasis belongs to the genus Leishmania spp and is transmitted by the female phlebotomine sand fly. The current drugs used to treat leishmaniasis are very toxic with sometime life-threatening side effects. It is therefore urgent to identify new therapeutics with less or no toxicity. In order to contribute to this goal, we will be screening synthetized thiazolidinone compounds for activity against Leishmania spp. A colorimetric assay with Alamar Blue reagent will be utilized to assess the viability of the parasites. We will also screen the compounds for toxicity to mammalian cell using flow cytometry to estimate the proportions of apoptotic and necrotic cells. We hope that at the end of our project to find less toxic and antileishmanial compounds