The trypanosome alternative oxidase : a potential drug target?
Abstract
New drugs against Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of Human African Trypanosomiasis, are urgently needed to replace the highly toxic and largely ineffective therapies currently used. The trypanosome alternative oxidase (TAO) is an essential and unique mitochondrial protein in these parasites and is absent from mammalian mitochondria, making it an attractive drug target. The structure and function of the protein are now well characterized, with several inhibitors reported in the literature which show potential as clinical drug candidates. In this review we provide an update on the functional activity and structural aspects of TAO. We then discuss TAO inhibitors reported to date, problems encountered with in vivo testing of these compounds, and discuss the future of TAO as a therapeutic target.
Citation
Menzies , S K , Tulloch , L B , Florence , G J & Smith , T K 2018 , ' The trypanosome alternative oxidase : a potential drug target? ' Parasitology , vol. 145 , no. 2 , pp. 175-183 . https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182016002109
Publication
Parasitology
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0031-1820Type
Journal item
Rights
© Cambridge University Press 2016. This work has been made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at www.cambridge.org / https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182016002109
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