Currently, the treatment of choice

for T. vaginalis infections is metronidazole. The increase in metronidazole-resistant parasites and undesirable side effects of this drug make the search for alternative chemotherapeutic approaches a priority for the management of trichomoniasis. Here, the antiproliferative and ultrastructural effects of sterol biosynthesis inhibitors against T. vaginalis were selleck chemicals investigated. It was found that 22,26-azasterol (5 μM) and 24(R,S),25-epiminolanosterol (10 μM), known inhibitors of Δ24(25)-sterol methyltransferase, exhibited antiproliferative effects on T. vaginalis trophozoites cultured in vitro. Morphological analyses showed that azasterols induced changes in the ultrastructure of T. vaginalis. The most significant alterations

were (1) membrane blebbing and disruption, (2) wrinkled cells and (3) the formation of cell clusters. In addition, autophagic vacuoles, Golgi duplication arrest, an abnormal Golgi enlargement and damaged hydrogenosomes were also observed. Nonspecific cytotoxicity assays using the cultured mammalian cell lines Madin–Darby canine kidney cells showed no effect of the azasterols on the viability and proliferation Obeticholic Acid clinical trial of these cells at a concentration that significantly inhibited the proliferation of T. vaginalis, indicating a selective antiparasitic action. Taken together, these results suggest that azasterols could be important compounds in the development of novel chemotherapeutic approaches against T. vaginalis. Trichomonas vaginalis is a parasitic protozoan that is the aetiological agent of trichomoniasis, the most common nonviral sexually transmitted disease worldwide.

According to WHO (2001), 173 million new cases occur annually. This disease has been associated with serious health problems for female patients, particularly during pregnancy, and it has been implicated as a risk factor for cervical cancer. Infected individuals are also predisposed to a higher transmission rate of HIV (Petrin et al., 1998). In addition, a recent study showed a relationship between trichomoniasis and prostate cancer (Sutcliffe et al., 2009). Currently, the compound of choice for the treatment of T. Clomifene vaginalis infections is metronidazole, which has been effectively used since the 1960s (Durel et al., 1960). An increase in metronidazole-resistant trichomoniasis has been observed (Lossick et al., 1986); moreover, a clinical resistance to metronidazole has been reported since 1962 (Robinson, 1962; Dunne et al., 2003; Goldman et al., 2009). Furthermore, undesirable side effects (nausea and hypersensitivity reactions) are common in patients undergoing treatment with this drug (Kurohara et al., 1991; Smilack et al., 1991). Undoubtedly, the development of safer and more potent chemotherapeutic agents is a top priority for the management of this worldwide health problem.