Metal Complexes in the Treatment of Tropical Diseases: Malaria, Trypanosomiasis, and Leishmaniasis

Parasitic diseases such as malaria, trypanosomiasis, and leishmaniasis are major health problems in the tropical area. Most clinically used drugs are decades old and suffered from severe side effects, limited efficacy, and emergence of drug resistance. As an alternative, the application of metal complexes as potential antiparasitic agents appears to be a promising approach. In this chapter, the advantages of metal complexes for the potential treatment of parasitic diseases are described. Further study on the mechanism of action of these compounds may facilitate the development of new metallodrugs with higher efficacy.