Leishmania donovani: Structural Insignt in the Recognition of C Methylated Analogues of Spermidine as Natural Polyamines1

The ability of α , β , γ and ω methylated spermidine analogues to restore the growth of L. dono vani promastigotes that were depleted of putrescine and spermidine was investigated. Only β methylated spermidine, like natural spermidine, was capable of restoring the growth of L. donovani, while the remaining three analogues turned out to be inactive. α Methylated spermidine is a functionally active spermidine sur rogate both in vivo and in vitro, hence this analogue may be considered as an antidote in the host parasite system, especially in the cases where inhibitors of polyamine biosynthesis are used for the therapy of leishma niasis. DOI: 10.1134/S002689331104008X