Antiprotozoal lysophospholipid analogues: a comparison of their activity against trypanosomatid parasites and tumor cells.

Lysophospholipid analogues (LPAs), originally developed as anti-cancer agents, have shown significant activity against Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi, both in vitro and in vivo. Miltefosine, used as a topical formulation (Miltex) for metastases, was registered in 2002 for the oral treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. LPAs interfere with lipid synthesis in T. cruzi and cancer cells, but the activity is about >20-fold higher against the parasite.