Recent Developments in the Treatment of Leishmaniasis: Natural Compounds, Drug Targets, in Silico Molecular Docking Approaches, and Nanocarriers

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is a common tropical disease caused by Leishmania protozoa. It affects 0.9 to 1.6 million people, causing 20,000–30,000 deaths annually. There are no effective vaccines, and current treatments have severe side effects. Drug resistance is a major obstacle in treating leishmaniasis. The necessity of drug discovery is indisputable. Natural compounds are promising candidates for drug discovery studies because of their diverse chemical structures and bioactivities. Experimental screening of compound libraries imposes high costs and is time-consuming. The molecular docking approach is beneficial for exploring new therapeutics in silico as it allows the screening of millions of drug candidates. Even if new drug candidates are discovered, delivery of the active ingredient to the target remains controversial. Nanocarriers are promising nanosystems that can address the drawbacks of drug delivery. This chapter focuses on natural compounds as drug candidates, targets, in silico drug discovery, and drug delivery for the treatment of leishmaniasis. © 2025 Elsevier Inc.