BioCentury
ARTICLE | Distillery Therapeutics

Infectious disease

February 22, 2017 7:09 PM UTC

Cell line and mouse studies identified a pyrazolopyridine-based compound that could help treat leishmaniasis. Chemical synthesis and testing in a Leishmania donovani-infected mouse macrophage cell line of pyrazolopyridine analogs yielded a compound that inhibited parasitic growth with an IC50 of 4.05 µM. In a mouse model of L. donovani infection, the compound or the compound plus Impavido miltefosine decreased parasitic burden in the spleen and liver compared with vehicle. In mice, the compound had a half-life of 4.81 hours. Next steps could include optimizing and testing the compound in additional models of leishmaniasis. ...