Innoprot (Spain)

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder with no cure to date, in which the misfolding and aggregation of α-synuclein (α-Syn) drives initiation and spreading of the pathology. Compelling evidence indicate that doxycycline (DOX), a second-generation tetracycline (TC) with in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, can interfere with the formation of toxic α-Syn species. However, the antibiotic activity of DOX represents an obstacle for its repurposing towards long-term treatments as those required for neuroprotection.

Current treatments for African trypanosomiasis are either toxic, costly, difficult to administer, or prone to elicit resistance. This study evaluated the activity of bisnaphthalimidopropyl (BNIP) derivatives againstTrypanosoma brucei BNIPDiaminobutane (BNIPDabut), the most active of these compounds, showedin vitroinhibition in the single-unit nanomolar range, similar to the activity in the reference drug pentamidine, and presented low toxicity and adequate metabolic stability. Additionally, using a murine model of acute infection and live imaging, a significant decrease in parasite load in BNIPDabut-treated mice was observed. However, cure was not achieved. BNIPDabut constitutes a new scaffold for antitrypanosomal drugs that deserves further consideration.