Abstract:
Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease affecting over 250 million people worldwide. The
disease is the second most prevalent neglected tropical disease after malaria. Treatment of schistosomiasis
relies on the administration of praziquantel (also known as biltricide). Reliance on a single drug
poses a threat to the public health system as the parasite may become resistant as shown by some
laboratory findings. The possibility of the resistance rising to clinically significant levels has motivated
the scientific community to search for new drug nominees. For a long time, natural products
have always been a foundation for the identification of drug leads in the pharmaceutical industry.
This paper reviews the progress made in the discovery of natural anti-schistosomal agents in the
field of drug discovery. We focus mainly on natural products that have been tested on the schistosome
parasite and exhibited potency. We also highlight applications of advanced techniques in
drug discovery, with a major focus on computer-aided drug discovery methods. Specifically, we discuss
structure-based drug discovery and ligand-based drug design approaches, with an emphasis
on virtual screening.
