Gold complexes as potential anti-parasitic agents

The medical uses of gold have a long history; rheumatoid arthritis is currently treated with gold-based drugs and there is increasing interest in the application of gold complexes as potential anticancer agents. However, the potential use of gold derivatives as drugs against parasitic diseases, also called neglected diseases, has so far been very little explored. This review focuses on recent advances in developing gold anti-parasitic agents and new uses of existing gold drugs against these old ailments, with emphasis on the major tropical diseases, malaria, leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis and schistosomiasis. These illnesses afflict millions of people around the world with very limited therapeutic options for their treatment.