Amazon Rainforest: A Natural Source for New Therapeutic Alternatives against Neglected Tropical Diseases

Abstract

Abstract: The Amazon rainforest has wide and unique biodiversity, which is an important source of natural productsfor the development of drugs. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) represent a major health problem as they affect over 1 billion people, especially vulnerable populations living in tropical and subtropical regions. Currently available drugs are generally inadequate for the majority of these diseases, thus, there is an urgent need for new treatments. The present review aims to summarize upto- date and comprehensive information on the efficacy of the Amazon plants, in treating certainneglected tropical diseases. According to the literature information, several compounds (phenolics, alkaloids, terpenoids and steroids, among others) which were isolated from plants of the Amazon forest showed in vtro activity against Leishmania sp., Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasites responsible for leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, respectively. Moreover, extracts and essential oil from certain plants were reported to have mosquito repellent and insecticidal activities against Aedes aegypti, the vector of dengue, and chikungunya. This review demonstrated that the Amazonian rainforest is endowed with pharmacologically active plants which can be used as a starting point for the development of new drugs against NTDs, such as leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, dengue, and chikungunya.